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mmefish's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
0.25
Oh boy. I didn't mind the first book and liked the second one. And I absolutely despise "Mortal Heart".
!!! SPOILER ALERT !!!
(I cannot successfully mark all of the text as "spoiler".)
Let me explain real quick: our main character falls in love, persuades the relationship and eventually sleeps with the man whom she always believed to be her father. He knew it. He met her when she was FIVE YEARS OLD. He is old as fuck. They start"""dating""" when she is 17.
Before she learned the truth, we get these lovely passages:
"What I feel is his need and desires and longing, crashing against me like waves against the shore. And always that inexplicable connection that draws me to him."
The connection is question is her praying to him. Because, you know, she believed him to be her father.
"I do not understand you. Sometimes I cannot tell you if you hate me or wish to devour me."
"Both", he wishers.
🤮🤮🤮 again, he KNEW. He knew this whole time—who she is, what she believed to be true, why she prayed, how old she was etc. That just feels so fucking disgusting to me. She was five.
How does he explain it?
"I did not know you were a child until I came upon you in the cellar..."
Right, and then, obviously, a crying 5 yo child awoke only pity in you, right? Some sadness, paternalistic feeling, maybe?
"...and then it was too late. I was caught."
Holy shit. This is just—
"You prayed and chatted with me constantly, and I did not have the strength to let go of the gift that you offered. It was like bread to a starving man."
Oh. My. God.
In what world is this normal? Even if he falls in love with her later on, it doesn't change the fact that she was FIVE at the time and only SEVENTEEN when they met later on, and he knew she thought he was her dad the whole time ajchjahfjsk🤮🤮🤮 I don't understand why this needed to be written. It's icky at best and pedophilic at worst. Just why. Just why.
The only time this fucked up shit got adressed is when Ismae said "but he's our father". And then h lf a page later Robin LaFevers wrote Sybella say this:
"I am beginning to think that love itself is never wrong."
No, actually romantic love towards children is wrong 🤡 Are we apologising pedophilia now? What is happening?
"And that particular love is far less misplaced than some" Sybella adds, thinking of her biological brother who used to rape her. Almost like R. LaFevers wants you to believe that the situation in "Mortal Heart" is not fucked up because at least it's not a brother having sex with his sister. How on Earth does the comparison make any sense? Both story lines are terrible and both of the relationships are disgusting.
There are other mind-blowingly shitty messages for the target audience consisting of young girls: it's worth giving up all your dreams for a man you met only recently (and you're 17); men are supposed to agree to sex any time; and even the shittiest, most abusive mothers deserve fOrgIVeNesS.
But they pale in comparison with "I fell in love with my 5 yo step daughter and seduced her when she turned 17".
Fuck this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Confinement, Emotional abuse, and Incest
Moderate: Sexual content and Toxic relationship
Minor: Incest and Rape
themoodreader's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, War, Child abuse, and Death
Minor: Child death, Confinement, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, War, Blood, Child abuse, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Murder, Physical abuse, and Injury/Injury detail
godswarriorgirl's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
While this third book didn’t have nearly as much intensity and action of the previous installments, it still managed to live up to its predecessors with plenty of plot twists and familiar characters. Reading Annith’s story felt like coming full circle, back to when little girls were training to serve a father and god they hardly knew. This third book gave me a nice sense of closure for Ismae, Sybella and Annith as well as the rest of the characters I have grown to love throughout this series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, and Child abuse
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