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bookboxbabe'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? Yes
5.0
WOWW!! okay so just take everyone one of my heart strings and yank them why don’t you.
this author has an AMAZING prose and the writing in the book was so beautiful. i was sold just from that. it’s rare that a book takes my breath away just from the writing alone, but this one did.
i also LOVED these characters. raff and penn are so complex and just troubled guys trying to find themselves in a world determined to rip them apart. their love felt raw and real. these two men found each other and fell in love in such an organic way and i believed these two were real men in love, not just words on a page.
the spicy scenes in here were written so tasteful and beautiful. i loved the exploration of each others bodies and the insecurity such a thing comes with. i thought all of the self hate was dealt wonderfully.
all in all, i loved reading this and i think this is a book that will stick with me for a while
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, and Homophobia
Minor: Child abuse
ezwolf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
This is one of those cases where I think it's just not for me. I cannot exactly explain why this didn't grab me, the best I can say is that I found it boring. I wasn't drawn to either Penn or Raff and so it made it hard to be interested in either point of view. By the time the story got to plot points I would have been interested in (like Penn's scars) I was 50% of the way through and I was already just reading for the sake of finishing the story.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper 360 for making this available in exchange for an honest review!
Graphic: Blood, Violence, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Animal death, Child abuse, and Classism
Moderate: Grief and Animal cruelty
Minor: Death, Xenophobia, and Suicidal thoughts
pitsikakku's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Child abuse and Sexual content
Moderate: Animal death and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Homophobia
thaliareads'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? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Blood, Sexual content, and Violence
Minor: War, Death of parent, Death, and Homophobia
cateemma's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Physical abuse, and Child abuse
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, Confinement, War, Vomit, and Homophobia
chantelbecky's review against another edition
Graphic: Animal death and Sexual content
Moderate: Child abuse
clairew97's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Gore, Abandonment, Sexual content, Alcohol, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Grief, Homophobia, Medical content, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Vomit, Blood, Body horror, Physical abuse, Child death, Classism, Death, Death of parent, and Panic attacks/disorders
wilybooklover's review against another edition
4.0
However, the pacing felt a bit off. There was virtually no plot for the first three quarters of the book (which I actually loved, as a big fan of 'no plot just vibes' books) and then a lot of action and drama crammed into a final act that was drawn out far too long. At times the dialogue felt a bit clunky and there were some jarring POV switches, which I'm attributing to this being a debut.
I also wish the early mediaeval setting had been explored a little more in depth. It was really just scenery for the most part and could have been set at any time pre-18th century given how little detail there is. There wasn't even a mention of the plague!
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Violence, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Grief
Moderate: Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, and Animal death
Minor: Xenophobia, Death of parent, Homophobia, and Animal cruelty
sefkhet's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Child abuse and Sexual content
llyfrauginger'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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Animal death, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Death of parent, Grief, Homophobia, Terminal illness, War, Chronic illness, and Confinement