Reviews

This story absolutely nails the worldbuilding and atmosphere–so much of this book hinges on the vibes, and it does a truly impeccable job of doing so. I loved all the monsters that were written with the love of folklore with beautiful prose to embellish all the wonderfully crafted elements of this story. The sentient house was also a treat, and I this book made me want to spend more time in worlds that hinge on sentient houses!!

Where this book fumbles is the plot. There is a meandering plot for the first 65-70% of the book–that of trying to figure out the Lysze’s past. I was very satisfied with the slow-moving story, and honestly didn’t even realize that so little had actually happened until we hit the 70% mark. At this point, there are big reveals (in terms of characters and the plot) that forced the latter third to be something that the beginning never set itself up to be.

(slight spoilers ahead re: character dynamics)

I was really disappointed with the romance element. The first time our two MCs kissed, I truly did not care. I was not invested in the romance plot in the slightest, and I really wish that their relationship had focused more on companionship rather than romance.

Both the Lesze and Litska are so desperate to be seen in their entirely and earnestly accepted in spite of all of it. The Lesze desperately wanted someone to forgive him because he couldn’t forgive himself. Litska’s journey hinged on her own self-acceptance and letting go of how/what everyone else thought of her, but if we are going to have a substantial relationship as a necessary part of the plot, then it would have been exponentially more compelling to see companionship rather than romantic love. Yes, we see her acceptance from other characters in the story, but if I am meant to believe that the Lesze’s acceptance is the most important, that could’ve been developed through a heartfelt mentor/apprentice relationship that turns into something more like a partnership.

Because Poranek decided to write these characters in a romantic relationship, Liska’s motivations turn primarily to “the man I love cannot die” rather than “I need to do something worthy.”

While she faces off with Veles, she has a few thoughts here and there that refer to the stakes, but really, for her, the stakes lie almost entirely with the safety of her new (apparent?) lover.

This really cheapens her character in a way that doesn’t rest well with how she was written for the first ⅔ of the book, and it’s off-putting to say the least.

Overall, this book was absolutely gorgeously written, the atmosphere and worldbuilding where remarkable, and the cover fits perfectly with the story, but unfortunately, the plot around the end of the story was incongruous with the rest of the book. We went from a flowing, slow pace with complex character to a rushed ending with flattened character arcs for the sake of labeling this book a romantasy.

arianamadison's review against another edition

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emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

mountainfawn's review against another edition

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

shilgend's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious sad medium-paced

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

3.25

eerie_de_sense's review against another edition

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5.0

The story was built so well with so many unexpected reveals and twists. And the romance was so sweet. And the way the characters were built and fleshed out made them seem so real and complex and was just incredibly well done.

cassregan188's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

whatshaunyreads's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

allyreadstoomuch's review against another edition

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3.5

A very beauty and the beast retelling. Not bad but not overly inspiring

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