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nerdysread'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Torture
Moderate: Death
aelis_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Death, Child abuse, and Torture
solenekeleroux's review against another edition
- 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
3.25
I loved the world-building, with the Grace system and how it explores capitalist exploitation of magical beings, that's something I wasn't expecting from this book and I was here for it.
The most lacking part was the romance, especially in the build-up part. It was all tell and no show, so not very believable when something did end up happening. The twists at the end are not bad, but too little too late. I was bored during all the middle part of the book (when the romance was supposed to build-up).
The character development is also a bit weak. It started well with Alyce's character, I loved the storyline of how she discovers herself and her power. But then there's no real growth or transformation, it stays very much on the surface of what she can do with her powers instead of the deep inner exploration of good and evil that I was expecting. Most other characters have little substance and are very black and white, except for the graces (again, I think I would have loved a novel just about the graces because that was the most interesting part), especially Laurel and her political reasoning.
Side-note, I am very pissed off whenever there is a shape-shifter character/storyline and it doesn't lead to a real exploration of gender and identity, especially in what is supposed to be a sapphic novel. Don't give me shape shifters and not make them queer!
Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Homophobia, Misogyny, Murder, Violence, Xenophobia, and Torture
Moderate: Genocide, Drug use, and War
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Pedophilia
megj23's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Graphic: Xenophobia
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Physical abuse, Suicide, Torture, and Child abuse
cavtasticreader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Death, Torture, War, Emotional abuse, and Sexual content
kaziaroo'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
3.5
Graphic: Bullying, Blood, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Death, Confinement, Violence, War, Alcohol, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Genocide, and Grief
Minor: Drug use, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Cursing, Death of parent, Incest, Suicidal thoughts, and Torture
emilyeehaw's review against another edition
4.0
that being said, i did think this book could have been a tad bit shorter. some of the middle section felt meandering and like it was taking too long to get to the meat of the story. i also felt like sometimes i could simply not force myself to care about the fae, human, grace, etc. lore of it all.
i somehow managed to guess a couple of the plotlines that were going on with some of our characters and even though they were pretty obvious usage of tropes in retrospect…i still feel like a genius.
i really liked that the characters in the book were 20….not 16/17 and weirdly characterized to make them seem older. but they were 20 and the tone of the book matched this age very well, it FELT like a YA book on the older end of the spectrum, not like it was trying to be something it wasn’t. seeing as it’s hard to find decent books that focus on people aged 19-24….loved that this one didn’t get aged down in the process.
i quite enjoyed alyce overall as a character. even when she was a bit of a fool (HELLOOO GIRLIE, NOT YOU NOT REALIZING WHAT THE KING WAS UP TO) i thought she was generally clever and i liked seeing how her powers developed. truly loved her little revenge moment on the people who treated her poorly for her entire life. definitely a “good for her” element. (ignoring the way that if she was a man character i’d be saying he’s a weird little incel with delusions of revenge and grandeur…anyways)
Minor: Torture and Homophobia
cbg11003'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
If you like fantasy, the sleeping beauty story, and/or sapphic stories and don't mind having your heart played with, definitely give this book a go.
Graphic: Bullying and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Child abuse, Death of parent, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, Confinement, War, and Death
Minor: Animal death and Body shaming
ednam0dewannabe's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Violence, Torture, Sexism, Racial slurs, and Racism
Minor: War, Toxic relationship, Torture, Slavery, and Drug use
yvonne_cl's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Bullying, Emotional abuse, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Torture, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gaslighting, Murder, Confinement, and Child abuse
Minor: War, Sexual content, Death of parent, Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, and Physical abuse