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alysreadsss's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Okay so first off, I’d just like to say that it took me way too long to finish this book. Despite the long amount of time, I did actually really enjoy this. I loved Lou. She was amazing. Reid did make me angry a few times. He really did. But, I loved him anyway. I will also not tolerate ANY Coco slander. Coco was amazing and I love her more than life itself. I loved the arranged marriage trope (I think that’s what it was in this book), and I think it definitely suited the story. I also loved the witch & witch hunter romance instead of my normal fae romance. It was a nice change and I’m now intrigued in reading more of them. I absolutely loved the plot. I can honestly say I don’t think I’ve ever read anything like this, and I kind of want to read more like it now. I did, however, have to stop reading for a few days at a time because it would get almost repetitive. As a whole, I think the book is a 4.5/5 stars. I was considering a 5/5 stars, but because of the character I thought died at the end, it took it down because ouch. I will be continuing with the series, as I’m interested in what’ll happen with Lou and Reid
meedje's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
ir0l's review against another edition
5.0
I didn't expect anything starting this book but actually it was kind of good : the setting in an alternative medieval France and the witches, the 2 MC were perfect for each other and you can get easily attach to the secondary characters.
Fantasy had never been my favorite kind but reading this one with grown-up characters changed a bit my mind. Hope to find others books like this one (strong and mature heroine, no alpha-mc, an interesting plot ..)
Fantasy had never been my favorite kind but reading this one with grown-up characters changed a bit my mind. Hope to find others books like this one (strong and mature heroine, no alpha-mc, an interesting plot ..)
janagaton's review against another edition
4.0
This was my most anticipated read of 2019, yet I couldn't get myself to read it until February 2020 because I was nervous it wouldn't live up to all of the hype. I've seen so many mixed reviews throughout BookTube, Goodreads, and Bookstagram, and both positive and negative ones had some accuracy to them. Personally, this was a 4-star read for me because it was such a fast-paced book; it was so easy to immerse myself into the story and get through 100 pages without even realizing it. However, during those 100-page intervals, there were portions that could not keep my attention or would confuse me as to where certain scenes were taking place or how the characters got from one scene to another. Those portions did not deter me from enjoying the overall story with all its plot twists and character connections by the end of the novel. I cannot wait for Blood & Honey to come out so I could dive back into this world!
acarter32's review against another edition
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
blackbirdiebooks's review against another edition
4.0
I have no clue why this book has such a bad rep. I LOVED it. Reed isn’t the typical male character I go for in a book but made up for it by the way I pictured him as this tall strong ginger (yeah okay I pictured Jamie from Outlander, sue me!)
The smut is below par at best but not a fade to black which was minimally redeeming.
But the BANTER…. *chefs kiss*
The smut is below par at best but not a fade to black which was minimally redeeming.
But the BANTER…. *chefs kiss*
elcademia's review against another edition
2.0
i read this as it was advertised as enemies to lovers but ended up being disappointed. i wish our introduction into this world was a bit more concrete. i was very confused for the first couple chapters as to where we were and who was who. i especially wished there was a stronger introduction to our main character, lou. she felt flat to me in the sense that i could open any other YA fantasy romance and find another version of her in a different font. perhaps even a main character whose flaws go beyond being “unladylike”.
reid frequently remarks about how lou doesn’t exhibit qualities of a “typical” or more “socially acceptable” woman in their era (which i presumed was the era where women were forced to be silent and obeying). lou steals, talks back, etc. but the way the author promotes her as “not like other girls” in a sense puts down the other female side characters. i’m honestly just tired of this approach to feminism.
in the last 30%, the story picks up and becomes interesting after the two protagonists overcome their hatred for each other, which by the way, was too sudden. way too fast. i had to flip back pages because i thought i’d missed a chapter. i was expecting more than a page of mental anguish where both protagonists go through the “i hate them but why do i also care for them so much?”
i would’ve dnf’ed but the writing style is simple and the chapters are short so it’s easy to fly through. read about half of the book in one sitting and decided to finish it at that point. i don’t plan on picking up the next book in the series as i’m not very attached to the characters.
reid frequently remarks about how lou doesn’t exhibit qualities of a “typical” or more “socially acceptable” woman in their era (which i presumed was the era where women were forced to be silent and obeying). lou steals, talks back, etc. but the way the author promotes her as “not like other girls” in a sense puts down the other female side characters. i’m honestly just tired of this approach to feminism.
in the last 30%, the story picks up and becomes interesting after the two protagonists overcome their hatred for each other, which by the way, was too sudden. way too fast. i had to flip back pages because i thought i’d missed a chapter. i was expecting more than a page of mental anguish where both protagonists go through the “i hate them but why do i also care for them so much?”
i would’ve dnf’ed but the writing style is simple and the chapters are short so it’s easy to fly through. read about half of the book in one sitting and decided to finish it at that point. i don’t plan on picking up the next book in the series as i’m not very attached to the characters.
rachelhelmer's review against another edition
3.0
This story is one that is definitely different from a lot of what I read. For one, I do not generally read much about witches so that was an aspect of the story that was totally new to me and not one that I totally enjoyed. The magic system that makes up these witches magic is more brutal with sacrificing things such as memories or the ability to do things such as sleep in exchange for the magic to do what you want. I thought this was an interesting take on magic since that I had not read much of before (that also means I have no idea if this is how most authors form their magic system when writing witch stories). When I am reading a story, I really need to care about the characters that I am reading about in order to like the book in general. I had a hard time coming to care for Lou since she is a very self focused person and takes joy in making other people's lives hard. Reid was a little more interesting of a character because of the struggle he is going through with his upbringing coming to clash with what he is learning about witches. In the end, I did enjoy him a little more than Lou but overall I didn't have a ton of feelings for him. Ansel and Coco were the characters that made the story worthwhile for me. Ansel was so sweet and understanding that I don't know how anyone could not love him. Coco is a force of nature that will do anything to protect her friends. She was an amazing character and I hope we will get even more from her in future books.
Overall, this books was good but not one that particularly stood out from others for me. I would still recommend it, however, to people looking for a fantasy with a good deal of romance to it.
Overall, this books was good but not one that particularly stood out from others for me. I would still recommend it, however, to people looking for a fantasy with a good deal of romance to it.
jenzhg's review against another edition
4.0
3.95/5 ⭐️
AHHH THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD!! At first, I went into this book thinking it was just a romance and ~some~ bits of fantasy but NOPE! IT COMPLETELYY surprised me with the half fantasy half romance plot (lovely plot btw). I loved the witches and the description of their magic. However, I do wish there was more magic and action going on, that would’ve been lovely.
I also really liked how the romance was boiling at the back inevitably flooded and almost drowned our main protagonists, Reid and Lou. Their romance was cute, excruciatingly saccharine and quite refreshing— seriously, the enemies to lovers trope never gets old. I just wishhh that we could’ve gotten more.
There are many reasons as to why I am not giving a 5/5.
Firstly, I’ve read alot of this genre. Don’t get me wrong, this book is srsly good but as someone who had a high & low YA, fantasy phase, I didn’t feel like it reached out to me enough (emphasis on enough). The tropes felt repetitive— the vigilante MC, her wild, girlboss best friend who saves her ass and the cocky, annoying (yet respectful) bastard who learns to love our reckless protagonist. In other words, I’ve experienced this all before and thus wasn’t that deeply moved.
Secondly, the 50% fantasy, 50% romance ultimately bites this book in its ass since everything ended up feeling quite underdeveloped. However, I can totally understand why it is so as this is the first book in the series but I just wished we got to see more scenes of Angelica’s ring being used more for example. Or more scenes with Reid and Lou after the whole witch fiasco. Overall, this point is kind of irrelevant as this IS the first book in the trilogy so I’m seriously hoping for more magical action + romance in the second book.
Lastly, while some parts of this book was quite rushed and confusing but that’s like any fantasy book in the first 5 chapters. Nevertheless, the wit that’s woven between the characters’ conversations is what makes this book so original and dear to me. I can’t wait to read ‘Blood & Honey’ :-)
AHHH THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD!! At first, I went into this book thinking it was just a romance and ~some~ bits of fantasy but NOPE! IT COMPLETELYY surprised me with the half fantasy half romance plot (lovely plot btw). I loved the witches and the description of their magic. However, I do wish there was more magic and action going on, that would’ve been lovely.
I also really liked how the romance was boiling at the back inevitably flooded and almost drowned our main protagonists, Reid and Lou. Their romance was cute, excruciatingly saccharine and quite refreshing— seriously, the enemies to lovers trope never gets old. I just wishhh that we could’ve gotten more.
There are many reasons as to why I am not giving a 5/5.
Firstly, I’ve read alot of this genre. Don’t get me wrong, this book is srsly good but as someone who had a high & low YA, fantasy phase, I didn’t feel like it reached out to me enough (emphasis on enough). The tropes felt repetitive— the vigilante MC, her wild, girlboss best friend who saves her ass and the cocky, annoying (yet respectful) bastard who learns to love our reckless protagonist. In other words, I’ve experienced this all before and thus wasn’t that deeply moved.
Secondly, the 50% fantasy, 50% romance ultimately bites this book in its ass since everything ended up feeling quite underdeveloped. However, I can totally understand why it is so as this is the first book in the series but I just wished we got to see more scenes of Angelica’s ring being used more for example. Or more scenes with Reid and Lou after the whole witch fiasco. Overall, this point is kind of irrelevant as this IS the first book in the trilogy so I’m seriously hoping for more magical action + romance in the second book.
Lastly, while some parts of this book was quite rushed and confusing but that’s like any fantasy book in the first 5 chapters. Nevertheless, the wit that’s woven between the characters’ conversations is what makes this book so original and dear to me. I can’t wait to read ‘Blood & Honey’ :-)