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bree_h_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
WOW! Like, this was actually so amazing.
The writing style reminded me of older books while still suiting the modern reader. It was charming and enchanting and really stands out against the other books I’ve read. It really leant to the feel of the book and was just detailed enough to paint a picture while clearly showing off all the character’s emotions.
All the characters also felt so alive and complex. They were well rounded and had flaws, but were still likeable despite them. You could really tell WHY they were the way they were and could really see how they grew and influenced each other. This also REALLY helped the main romance. There’s something so endearing and sweet and cute about watching two well rounded characters try to navigate their flaws and awkwardness and miscommunications to come together. And it takes a lot of skill to not make the miscommunication obnoxious.
The world building was also WILDLY fascinating. It left me really looking forward to reading book two with the world this book established. It felt real and you could see where the real world influenced some of the culture. I would happily sit and read a book sharing all sorts of facts on the world building. It always felt like it was delivered naturally and didn’t info dump or become annoying to hear about.
Honestly with a bit more work on the foreshadowing and a better handling of some of the more questionable thoughts/opinions had in the main romance I’d call it near perfect.
Overall a great read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gun violence, Murder, Grief, Sexual content, Death, Death of parent, Cursing, and Violence
Moderate: Classism, Hate crime, Xenophobia, Alcohol, Sexism, and Misogyny
Minor: Cancer, Child death, Hate crime, Miscarriage, Religious bigotry, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Chronic illness, Homophobia, and Infertility
ruth_a's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-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? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Alcohol, Murder, and Blood
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Violence, and Sexual content
Minor: Pregnancy, Sexism, Child abuse, Infertility, Violence, Religious bigotry, Vomit, and Misogyny
mcbenzie's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Racism, Gun violence, and Murder
amberinpieces's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Classism, Sexual content, Violence, Pregnancy, Murder, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Grief, Blood, Death of parent, Sexism, Death, and Alcohol
Minor: Medical content, Suicide, Drug use, Vomit, Gun violence, and War
lira_the_recluse's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
I don't know what to feel. The book had a compelling world, and some interesting characters. The mystery spanned several areas and characters across long distances. It seemed like two of the characters main reason for being there was to have sex and lose family members. Despite being POV characters for every other chapter or so, I did not feel like they really joined the plot until one of their mother's were killed by the murderer.
The last quarter of the book felt rushed.
The last quarter of the book felt rushed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Gun violence, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Medical content, Misogyny, and Racism
Moderate: Sexual content
wilybooklover's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
This was a really fun mashup of genres — part fantasy, part murder mystery, part romance, part coming-of-age. I really enjoyed the complex worldbuilding in this and how naturally it was incorporated into the story; no info-dumping or clumsy expositional dialogue here. It's a queernorm world which has some very interesting exploration of gender, sexuality, privilege, and cultural conflicts. I loved that the magical system was based on maths and all about creating logical formulae and definitions. I also enjoyed that it was a racially diverse world; Onna, one of the POV protagonists, seemed to be Black-coded, another main character was coded as East Asian, and several secondary characters were also POC/mixed race.
There were a few plotting issues. The two main plotlines were a little too disparate through most of the book and felt like they were kind of forced together towards the end rather than naturally converging. It was a bit jarring jumping straight from Onna's POV into Tsira's or Jeckran's. Some of the subplots seemed a bit pointless or didn't really make sense(e.g. Tsira's boxing matches, or the part where Mon Del Ras is killed off and an entire brothel was infiltrated, which didn't quite seem to jive with the killer's motives and methods). The villain was very predictable and easy to guess.
Overall though, this was great fun and very entertaining.
There were a few plotting issues. The two main plotlines were a little too disparate through most of the book and felt like they were kind of forced together towards the end rather than naturally converging. It was a bit jarring jumping straight from Onna's POV into Tsira's or Jeckran's. Some of the subplots seemed a bit pointless or didn't really make sense
Overall though, this was great fun and very entertaining.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Grief, Sexual content, Death of parent, Gore, Murder, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Child death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexism, Xenophobia, and Hate crime
Minor: Drug abuse, Animal death, Drug use, Suicide, War, Child abuse, and Pregnancy
ohnoitskylie's review
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
An enjoyable fantasy-mystery read and world building that feels incredibly real. It is a bit more of a distant than close third person, so at times I did feel as I was being told about some events that happened to people rather than living it alongside the characters. That said, I did appreciate how the author changed up the writing style just a bit for each point of view. It made thing easier to follow and more interesting. Lastly, Tsira is one of my favorite fantasy characters now!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Death
Moderate: Sexual content, Gun violence, and Violence
chriscarvell17's review
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
This book left much to be desired in my opinion. It was heavy on sex and violence and light on the pieces of fantasy that draw me to the genre. The book itself is well written and I enjoy the author’s voice, but the plot was rather slow and focused less on Onna’s personal journey into full mage-hood than I would’ve hoped. And though I know we’re to take Tsira’s pregnancy as some type of miracle that points towards the restitution of life after so many had been taken, it shocked me that Tsira and Jeckran were the final people we see in the story when Onna’s is the one I felt most connected to. This felt like it could have been two books, although I love the way her writing weaves the stories into crossed paths.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Violence, and Gun violence
ridesthesun's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
I really am fascinated by the world built here; it was a very "show don't tell" style of worldbuilding, so while I felt a little lost at times in the beginning, my understanding of the world/magic/creatures grew very organically.
(New genders just dropped; female and male are out, dom and sub are in. It's actually fantastic and brilliant and so perfect for a fantasy world where you can do whatever you want, so why not broaden the gender world????)
This style of writing was so fun, and had a very subtle, dry humor that I really jivved with. And some unexpectedly *raw* lines that jumped out so well 🙌🏻🙌🏻
While the plot lines and the main mystery had some gaps and pacing issues, it worked out alright for the story, which overall felt more character focused than plot focused. The incomplete plot work is really the only thing that keeps this from being a 5 star for me.
AND THE CHARACTERS!!! lil Onna, brilliant angel baby. Jeckran, wonderful ridiculous scoundrel. Tsira, UTTER QUEEN AND LEGEND. They were so much fun. Their dynamics, especially Jeckran and Tsira's growing relationship, absolutely had me by the throat. I love me some mixed POVs, and this book handled that so well.
Also. The smut is hot as fuck. Cheers friends 👌🏻
(New genders just dropped; female and male are out, dom and sub are in. It's actually fantastic and brilliant and so perfect for a fantasy world where you can do whatever you want, so why not broaden the gender world????)
This style of writing was so fun, and had a very subtle, dry humor that I really jivved with. And some unexpectedly *raw* lines that jumped out so well 🙌🏻🙌🏻
While the plot lines and the main mystery had some gaps and pacing issues, it worked out alright for the story, which overall felt more character focused than plot focused. The incomplete plot work is really the only thing that keeps this from being a 5 star for me.
AND THE CHARACTERS!!! lil Onna, brilliant angel baby. Jeckran, wonderful ridiculous scoundrel. Tsira, UTTER QUEEN AND LEGEND. They were so much fun. Their dynamics, especially Jeckran and Tsira's growing relationship, absolutely had me by the throat. I love me some mixed POVs, and this book handled that so well.
Also. The smut is hot as fuck. Cheers friends 👌🏻
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing and Sexual content
Moderate: Blood, Death of parent, Death, Gun violence, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence
Minor: Alcohol, Animal death, Drug use, and Pregnancy
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