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reviewsandreadathons's review
adventurous
dark
hopeful
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, and Classism
blackgirlbujos's review against another edition
4.0
William Shakespeare, Yoruba gods/goddesses + magical black people. Not like anything I have read and I loved it.
C 8
A 7
W 7.5
P 8
I 8
L 7
E 8
C 8
A 7
W 7.5
P 8
I 8
L 7
E 8
meghannreads's review
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I am so invested in these characters it’s not even funny. I am rooting so hard for Joan, Rose, and Nick (the romance is so sweet!!!). This ya fantasy takes place in Shakespearean London and has history, magic, a Fae uprising, and a POLY ROMANCE!!!! The book took a slightly darker turn than I was expecting with the Fae and I am very curious to see how everything plays out in book 2, especially with the twist ending! Also, Shakespeare is a prominent character in this book and I thought it was going to annoy me but I actually love it. The cast of characters in this book, especially The King’s Men, were highly entertaining and I loved how protective and supportive they are of Joan. Joan’s relationship with her brother was also one of my favorite things about this book, it was just so heartwarming to see such a loving and supportive sibling relationship!!
nightjar656's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
This book was exactly what I needed right now- I’ve been really stressed and busy lately, so a lighter novel full of adventure and sword fighting was perfect at this time. I love Joan as a main character, and her progression with Ogun throughout the book is fascinating. I do hope there’s a little more complexity within the romances in book 2, but at the same time I liked that it was there yet didn’t overshadow everything. And monstrous fae was such a breath of fresh air from the more common kind of fae in romantasy. That cliffhanger at the end was a bit worrying, though. I can’t wait to read book 2!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Violence
verovivaldi9's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
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
4.25
bookish_boy_mom's review
adventurous
challenging
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
𝘐 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘰𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳, 𝘗𝘢𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘢 𝘈𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘯, 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵!
This is a genre-defying historical fiction/fantasy/romance YA novel. Set in London in the time of William Shakespeare, Joan is 16-years-old and Orisha blessed. She has the ability to manipulate and control metal, and works in Shakespeare’s acting company, the Kings Men, with the responsibility to manage and maintain the swords and blades. Her entire family is Orisha blessed and has the ability to see the presence of Fae via their faint glow. Joan gets caught up in political issues involving the Fae while trying to save her brother and the story develops from there.
The relationship between Joan and her brother was one of my favorite aspects of this story. Joan’s ability to control metal was really cool and a unique use of a magical system, which had a religious/spiritual component with the Orisha.
This novel had a lot packed into it. As a first in a series it is setting the groundwork for the future novels, but I feel like it just had a bit too much going on. There were a lot of side characters and I did start to lose track of who was who. There was a potential queer and/or polyamorous relationship situation, which was so intriguing, but didn’t get explored to its full potential. The FMC is unique, and I would have loved to see more character development there. And I also would have loved to see the magical system further explained.
I think there is a ton of potential for this series. I am hoping that the second novel (Publishing 4/23/24!) gives us more depth, exploration, and insights into the characters and the magical system. I will definitely be checking it out.
murderousscottishgremlin's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This book had a really unique premise, and I liked the historical setting. However, I felt as though the plot never truly picked up, which made the reading experience a bit boring for me. This book also depicted several social issues such as racism and sexism, but the commentary never really went beyond the surface. The characters were all distinct from each other but ultimately, I just didn’t care about any of them. Williams’ Shakespeare-esque language style choices also felt clunky and out of place.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
missychristo's review against another edition
no connection to story. not enough to immerse me into the work. not clear
rachelsmith3773's review against another edition
adventurous
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? No
3.5