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city_girl_writer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Xenophobia, Blood, Antisemitism, and Abandonment
Moderate: Animal death, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Grief, and Gaslighting
Minor: Death of parent
andromeda_1998's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Sexism, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
neni's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I loved Trouble the hound, especially because my own dear dog is of the same breed so I kept picturing her in the book :)
The pacing was a bit all over the place. The first third of the book felt slow and like nothing was happening, the middle was satisfying in that we finally had some progress in both the plot and the relationship between the main character's, but then the ending, while entertaining, was a bit rushed and left quite a few issues that had been brought up either unresolved or fixed so quickly it didn't feel believable.
I must say as well: the fact that the whole character's main thing was being a huntress and loving it, didn't sit quite well with me as I don't agree with hunting for sport. The descriptions of fox killing as a sport (both the magical/mythical type and the plain normal animal) bothered me.
Overall, this was an okay read, especially vibesy for autumn and with some good romance and pining in the middle but not particularly strong either in plot or character complexity.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
aformeracceleratedreader's review against another edition
3.5
I'm also not a fan of white, raised Christian people writing about marginalized people when they haven't had those experiences. I know the author is LGBT+ and probably has faced prejudice because of it, but the discrimination and oppression one experiences based on religion and race/ethnicity is quite different. I don't like white authors saying that racial and religious minorities need to take the high road to be better than their oppressors like what has been illustrated in this book.
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Hate crime, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Classism
halfelfschollar's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The setting is atmospheric and the Hala is fascinating, despite not being the greatest obstacle for the protagonists.
Graphic: Child abuse, Gore, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Child death
lujisa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Bullying, Hate crime, and Antisemitism
Moderate: Child death, Religious bigotry, and Injury/Injury detail
neera_duke's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Don't usually go for fantasy, let alone a YA fantasy, but I highly recommend this book to everyone. It's long, but no event or detail is unnecessary and the author approaches the plot with an almost reverent touch. Also, the slow-burn/yearning is top notch!
Graphic: Animal death and Antisemitism
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, and Death of parent
glass_carousel's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Animal death, Panic attacks/disorders, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, and Abandonment
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Classism
Minor: Child death and Death of parent
sallenreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Saft wove together so many different elements in this book, and they all worked so well together. Like her other book, this one has a romance between two outcasts at the heart of it, with a setting that could be its own character, and high stakes driving the plot forward. But it also grapples with topics like religion, xenophobia, and abuse. None of the aforementioned elements detracted from the others, or felt unnecessary; it all blended together very effectively to tell a complete story.
And speaking of our main characters, they each had their own traumas to work through, and helped each other while maintaining their independence. I also appreciated Wes for his excellent neurodivergent representation -- he read as having ADHD, and maybe dyslexia. As someone with ADHD, I felt it was handled very authentically, and my heart ached for him because I've gone through many of the emotions (failure, inadequacy, etc.) that he did.
Thank you to Wednesday Books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Graphic: Xenophobia
Moderate: Animal death, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Antisemitism, and Abandonment
Minor: Child death, Cursing, Hate crime, Sexual content, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Alcohol
megj23's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.0
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Minor: Sexual content and Blood