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otterkitty's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
slow-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
3.5
lit_laugh_luv's review against another edition
5.0
If I was going to think up my perfect fantasy book, it would probably look nearly identical to this. Absolutely would recommend this to anyone who is even remotely interested in fantasy - it's accessible and interesting and has some really great non-binary and queer representation.
This book absolutely gripped me - you have dual POVs, each with interesting sub-plots that have a super satisfying crossover in the later stages of the book, multiple twists that have the ideal amount of foreshadowing, and a super interesting and layered magic system. The magic system is a bit overwhelming at first (given there's 16+ types), but it's explained again multiple times that I didn't find myself confused by any particular scenes.
Every character is interesting and charming, and there is excellent pacing and suspense in this throughout. Several of the twists caught me off guard, and by the 80% mark I was torn between wanting to find out where everything would lead, and not wanting things to end. Some twists are certainly predictable, but the additional background information you learn adds some surprising elements and set things up so nicely for subsequent entries. Even the villains are sympathetic and understandable, which I appreciated since it's not a strict 'good versus evil' narrative you often see in this genre.
This ends on such a big cliffhanger I know I'll be waiting impatiently for the sequel to come out. This is easily going to be my favourite fantasy of the year, and despite receiving the e-ARC from Simon & Schuster, I've already pre-ordered the physical copy on release date.
This book absolutely gripped me - you have dual POVs, each with interesting sub-plots that have a super satisfying crossover in the later stages of the book, multiple twists that have the ideal amount of foreshadowing, and a super interesting and layered magic system. The magic system is a bit overwhelming at first (given there's 16+ types), but it's explained again multiple times that I didn't find myself confused by any particular scenes.
Every character is interesting and charming, and there is excellent pacing and suspense in this throughout. Several of the twists caught me off guard, and by the 80% mark I was torn between wanting to find out where everything would lead, and not wanting things to end. Some twists are certainly predictable, but the additional background information you learn adds some surprising elements and set things up so nicely for subsequent entries. Even the villains are sympathetic and understandable, which I appreciated since it's not a strict 'good versus evil' narrative you often see in this genre.
This ends on such a big cliffhanger I know I'll be waiting impatiently for the sequel to come out. This is easily going to be my favourite fantasy of the year, and despite receiving the e-ARC from Simon & Schuster, I've already pre-ordered the physical copy on release date.
deazi's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-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
3.0
ravenchild077's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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? Yes
5.0
Amazing!!!
mwillison's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
4.0
laura_eb's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-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? Yes
5.0
aheinicke27's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
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
4.0
I had a difficult time getting into the world of this book at first. While likely because I was distracted when listening to the beginning of the audiobook, it took a few chapters to really understand the magic system within the book and who all the characters are. Once I got into it though, I thought this book was really interesting! The magic controlled by phases of the moon was super interesting. Likewise, the dark academia videos were also very interesting. I could definitely see some of the plot twists coming from a mile away, but overall I enjoyed the book and will likely listen to the second book too — especially after the giant mysterious cliffhanger it ends with!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
matildathebookdragon's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
fast-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? Yes
5.0
Wow! This was such a beautiful poetic fantasy story. Romantic, intruiging, dreamlike. Great magic system! Why are not more people talking about it? Some things are obvious, but that doesn't matter to me. Excited to read book 2 and 3, book two coming this autumn. It felt a little bit like The Starless Sea meeting magical school.