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dinaisreading's review against another edition
adventurous
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
3.5
Overall pretty good. The ending was a little rushed. The part where everyone chants “I trust Tessa” had me seriously cringing, but it was otherwise not that unbelievable. The MC was a bit irritating at times, confused and naive, but it didn’t get in the way of the story too much.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Gore
dezzella's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I would say this reads as upper YA dystopian fantasy with dark elements/themes. I was hooked as I started reading this, and very quickly the author had my jaw dropping with surprise. You have this kingdom that is facing an illness, and struggling to give medicine to everyone. Tension is rising and though the king has strict restrictions on the flower that seems to be halting most things, there is an underground market risking their lives to get the medicine - whether for greed or for more.
The romance is definitely a sub plot, and the focus is more on the sickness affecting the kingdom, but I like how it was done. The book feels like a combination of the futuristic dystopian novels and a fantasy setting. There are magical/fantasy elements and I think everything blended pretty well.
Over pretty good and I had a good time reading it, will definitely be continuing to book 2.
The romance is definitely a sub plot, and the focus is more on the sickness affecting the kingdom, but I like how it was done. The book feels like a combination of the futuristic dystopian novels and a fantasy setting. There are magical/fantasy elements and I think everything blended pretty well.
Over pretty good and I had a good time reading it, will definitely be continuing to book 2.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic and Death
Moderate: Death of parent, Violence, Gore, and Torture
e_zindel's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Love plot twists and the romance
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Gore, and Violence
thumbeleia's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Death, Death of parent, Terminal illness, Violence, Abandonment, Blood, Chronic illness, Gore, Body horror, Child death, Medical content, Pandemic/Epidemic, Physical abuse, Police brutality, War, Classism, and Torture
gaby_readsss's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Just finished my reread of this book and I loved it just as much, if not more than the first time.
I loved revisiting this book because it allowed me to notice things I didn’t the first time I read it and also it reminded me of everything that happened and details I had forgotten.
This book will always be a favorite of mine.
I’m so stoked to read Defend The Dawn!
I loved revisiting this book because it allowed me to notice things I didn’t the first time I read it and also it reminded me of everything that happened and details I had forgotten.
This book will always be a favorite of mine.
I’m so stoked to read Defend The Dawn!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Injury/Injury detail, and Blood
Moderate: Gore, Death, and Death of parent
zozo_reads's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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? Yes
4.5
Great world building did sort of expect the ending though. There was a plot twist in the beginning that I would have never expected.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Medical content, Murder, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Blood, Body horror, Gore, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child abuse and Child death
fremzz's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Alcohol, Grief, Death, and Death of parent
Minor: Gore
theespressoedition's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Whew. What a wild ride this was!
I really enjoyed the Cursebreakers trilogy and was excited to find out that Brigid was starting a new series. I heard tons and tons of raves about this when it was first released, which made me simultaneously more excited to read it and also totally wary. I'm not always huge on hyped books, but I gave it a go - and I'm glad I did.
Personally, I would categorize this as new adult. Somewhere in the middle of the book, Corrick mentions how several years ago, he and his brother were 17, which means that they've got to be at least 19-20 in the story, if not older. I'm not sure Tessa's age is discussed, but no matter what, the content felt older than just YA. Not because of anything sexually explicit (there's romance and some subtle physical contact, but nothing further) - but because of the gore. There was quite a bit of it and it even made me uncomfortable at times.
I was completely entranced by the story. It was pretty quick-paced, with great character development, short chapters, fantastic twists and turns, and political intrigue that actually kept me intrigued. This is a feat, I must say. Political intrigue usually bores me to tears, but this time, I was interested. The characters actually made you care about the cause and I found myself feeling so hopeful for a solution throughout the story.
The secondary characters were nearly as fascinating as the protagonists and I'm looking forward to seeing how the sequel might dive into their stories a bit more. I just know that this felt like a really refreshing high fantasy and I'm excited for whatever's next.
I really enjoyed the Cursebreakers trilogy and was excited to find out that Brigid was starting a new series. I heard tons and tons of raves about this when it was first released, which made me simultaneously more excited to read it and also totally wary. I'm not always huge on hyped books, but I gave it a go - and I'm glad I did.
Personally, I would categorize this as new adult. Somewhere in the middle of the book, Corrick mentions how several years ago, he and his brother were 17, which means that they've got to be at least 19-20 in the story, if not older. I'm not sure Tessa's age is discussed, but no matter what, the content felt older than just YA. Not because of anything sexually explicit (there's romance and some subtle physical contact, but nothing further) - but because of the gore. There was quite a bit of it and it even made me uncomfortable at times.
I was completely entranced by the story. It was pretty quick-paced, with great character development, short chapters, fantastic twists and turns, and political intrigue that actually kept me intrigued. This is a feat, I must say. Political intrigue usually bores me to tears, but this time, I was interested. The characters actually made you care about the cause and I found myself feeling so hopeful for a solution throughout the story.
The secondary characters were nearly as fascinating as the protagonists and I'm looking forward to seeing how the sequel might dive into their stories a bit more. I just know that this felt like a really refreshing high fantasy and I'm excited for whatever's next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Murder, and Torture
bookishgoob's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- 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
5.0
My goodness! This book had me so entranced with every page. I loved every moment of it from the robin hood-esque premise to the friends-to-lovers-to-enemies-to-partners-to-friends-to-lovers dynamic between the main characters. I loved that there’s wasn’t many true good guys or bad guys; just people fighting for what they thought was right thinking they were the good guys. The dilemmas the king and the prince faced when it came to the rebels made me so intrigued. seeing things from multiple perspectives was a great choice! I love political intrigue, and this book scratched all of those itches. I highly recommend and I absolutely can not wait for the second book to come out!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Grief, Murder, Terminal illness, Blood, Child death, Chronic illness, and Classism
nononononononono's review against another edition
adventurous
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore, Grief, Alcohol, Death, Death of parent, Torture, Blood, and Murder
Minor: Rape