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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
craftysnailtail's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
I found this book easy and rather relaxing to read, even though it was decently violent at parts. The world and characters were fun and interesting, but I'm not sure if it's the sort of book I would recommend, especially with such a predictable ending. I found the sexual tension entirely over the top and thus mildly hilarious, but I'm sure that's partially due to my own orientation. Overall, I'm not upset I read it, but I also wasn't blown away.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Gore, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual content
Moderate: Mental illness, Xenophobia, Chronic illness, Death of parent, War, Grief, Misogyny, Murder, Infertility, and Sexism
Minor: Hate crime, Alcohol, and Pregnancy
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
charlieeee's review
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Vomit, Sexism, Pregnancy, Misogyny, Sexual content, and Xenophobia
massivepizzacrust's review
adventurous
mysterious
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
3.0
An interesting idea and I enjoyed the setting and the plot. Onna's storyline was lovely, I could have kept reading about her developing her power. I really loved her initial illusion transformation and I kept thinking we were going to get an even better demonstration of her particular powers during the finale. But it was still cute and cozy.
However, I will never be able to enjoy Tsira and Jeckran's relationship. Tsira decided what was going to happen from the moment she laid her eyes on Jeckran. D/s relationships are still partnerships but this relationship was only Tsira deciding how things will happen and Jeckran putting up the mildest of fights that never get considered. When he says he's uncomfortable with something, Tsira rolls his eyes at him and thinks he's cute. Jeckran just happens to always give consent after the fact (except before the explicit non-con scene, which I did appreciate). How lucky for Tsira that she never oversteps his boundaries. Except she does and there are no consequences, even when Jeckran is so embarrassed he can't even look at her.
However, I will never be able to enjoy Tsira and Jeckran's relationship. Tsira decided what was going to happen from the moment she laid her eyes on Jeckran. D/s relationships are still partnerships but this relationship was only Tsira deciding how things will happen and Jeckran putting up the mildest of fights that never get considered. When he says he's uncomfortable with something, Tsira rolls his eyes at him and thinks he's cute. Jeckran just happens to always give consent after the fact (except before the explicit non-con scene, which I did appreciate). How lucky for Tsira that she never oversteps his boundaries. Except she does and there are no consequences, even when Jeckran is so embarrassed he can't even look at her.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Racism, Blood, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, and Xenophobia
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