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lawbooks600'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? No
4.0
Score: Seven points out of ten.
Let me start with a statement, for me Marissa Meyer is a hit or miss author. I can safely say some of her books like Cinder were hits, some were okay like Renegades and Gilded but some were misses like Archenemies. At least this book was a hit and a much needed improvement over Cursed and an outstanding way to finish the duology. It starts (more like continues) with the main character Serilda (whose last name I forgot) picking up after the events of the first instalment and immediately I noticed something, the book is slow paced like the preceding books I've read (that doesn't mean it ruins the book) but it lets me explore the character dynamic between Serilda and Gild. The relationship between them grows deeper which dominated the book, left room for not many other events to happen and made this book more like a romantasy than a fantasy. I've read romantasies before like Graceling and Powerless (of which I enjoyed the latter) and I'm still debating whether that's my cup of tea. The book was slow for the first 400 pages or so right up until the last 80 pages which were action-packed, an afterword from the narrator, and that ends the book.
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Blood
Full trigger warnings: Earthquake, building collapse, death of a person, physical assault and injury, blood depictionpassionatereader78'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
4.5
Graphic: Pregnancy, Torture, Death of parent, and Child death
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Confinement, Slavery, Violence, Animal death, Murder, and Toxic relationship
katewheels13's review against another edition
2.0
Graphic: Physical abuse and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Death, and Emotional abuse
thattheatrekid'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? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Death, Child death, and Violence
turnthepages_nl's review against another edition
3.0
Erlen was amazing tho and she made it more enjoyable.
Marissa Meyer had to fill in a nine month gap, because the original story doesnt tell about that time. But her version sadly did not satisfy me.
If she didnt do the plottwist at the end of book 1, gilded could be a standalone novel. It didnt work as a duology for me because I feel like I didnt get to know the characters better...
I was in a fantasy mood, but this book did not quench my thirst. And I'm so sad about it because I love Marissa's other books!
I hope you loved this story more than I did <3
Graphic: Body horror, Animal cruelty, Death, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Child death, Blood, Gore, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, and Violence
badbrhireads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Death of parent, Death, and Pregnancy
voldycat's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, Animal cruelty, Child death, Toxic relationship, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Rape, War, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Grief, and Child abuse
Minor: Abandonment
clairew97's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Violence, Abandonment, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Infertility, Kidnapping, and Pregnancy
kyleighf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Child death and Death
kaiyakaiyo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
In this one she just straight up does not look before she leaps to an extremely unrealistic degree. She knows the consequences and yet let’s her guard down EVERY time. Every time she acted shocked by an evil thing the Erlking did i facepalmed; I’ve never seen such a sharp decrease in intellect in a main char between books before. Maybe the baby was rerouting oxygen from her brain? She’s blessed by the god of stories and lies but can’t pick apart very clear threats and lies said directly to her face? she does all this “investigating” but somehow never realizes the literal underworld gate is under her home? She realizes her “power” but continues spouting off bullshit that gets everyone in trouble? Her characterization is just incredibly weak in this book; there’s no way a “skillful liar” is that stupid? book 1 was okay but this one was just a total slog
also imma be real there was a gratuitous amount of child death in these books, and the use of the rumpelstiltskin name trope was incredibly cheesy and out of place. the ending was so cobbled together it doesn’t make sense! as someone who loved the lunar chronicles I am baffled that these books came from the same planet let alone the same author. just 0 interesting character development and a fascinating universe with no consistency
Graphic: Death, Pregnancy, Violence, and Child death
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts