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Moderate: Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury
Kaan jumped to my top spot of favorite book boyfriends. 😏🥵🥰
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Confinement, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Blood, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Minor: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Blood, Death of parent, Alcohol, Classism
The relationship between Raeve and Kaan is delightful and toe curling— I love how he crawls for her but also pushes her, refuses to let her waste herself away and continue forgetting who she is, who they are to each other. Their intimate scenes together are steamy and playful that lean into need.
I loved Veya, she reminds me a lot of Jenny from Outlander and I really enjoyed her scenes. Her relationship with Kaan feels very relatable and real. The pain she carries from their father is crushing. The little time that she does spend with Raeve felt important and tender (like putting a bandaid on a fresh paper cut) and I really wish there was more!
I think that what keeps me from giving this a full 5 stars is that I wish we had the opportunity to understand Raeve better, earlier. **MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD**
The next book needs to be here immediately because I have so many questions about what is happening with Raeve and Elowyn, and if this Other is just another part of them both or something bigger.
The ending was both satisfying if a little jarring in terms of where we are in time and how Raeve/Other is getting around like this, and the political implications of torturing and killing Kaan’s bastard of a brother. Because in the chapter right before it’s all talk about keeping him alive and why she can’t tear out his throat, but then there she is immediately after.
My hopes for the next book are more consistency with the blend of fantasy and romance, but even still this book is probably my favorite of the year.
Graphic: Torture
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Sexual content, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment
Minor: Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Grief, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Blood, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Torture, Violence
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Death of parent
Minor: Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail
The story is pretty bloody and YA-brand dark, but also clunky due to it's dialogue and characters.
Raeve is a "special" assassin with a dark past that's barely expanded on. She loses those close to her - as we're reminded constantly - so she walls off her heart. She has no qualms with slaughtering people, yet when she sees other people kill she gets very squeamish. She also spends a tremendous amount of time being a damsel in distress because "she's too powerful and dangerous to have her powers."
Kaan
I'd still read the second book if it was brought to me because of the world, but I wouldn't seek it out.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, War
Minor: Confinement, Kidnapping
I read the last 2 thirds of the book in one day, I was reading as I did everything - could hardly put it down.
I am looking forward to book 2!
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Classism
Minor: Miscarriage, Rape
Moderate: Torture, Violence, Blood
Minor: Child abuse, Emotional abuse
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail