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middle_name_joy'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? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Blood, Torture, Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Child death, Grief, Pandemic/Epidemic, Violence, and Vomit
annelihghh'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? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Grief, Medical content, Child death, Pandemic/Epidemic, Blood, Death of parent, Classism, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
Minor: Alcohol, Pregnancy, Vomit, and Sexual content
inkysplodge's review
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Pandemic/Epidemic, Injury/Injury detail, and Confinement
Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Sexual violence, Vomit, and Body horror
lisashelves's review
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Terminal illness, Violence, Physical abuse, and Death
Moderate: Torture, Death of parent, Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, and Alcohol
Minor: Physical abuse and Fire/Fire injury
kirstenf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Grief, Violence, Police brutality, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Child death, War, Blood, and Death of parent
Moderate: Terminal illness, Alcohol, and Torture
Minor: Confinement, Sexual assault, Vomit, and Sexual content
pauline_ljm_iii's review against another edition
- 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
My favourite part about this was the emotions, and how believably they are written. Tessa, the fmc, is an emotional person, and I usually struggle to connect with these character types because they can easily turn melodramatic, but I think Tessa’s were done brilliantly. Worth studying to learn how to do.
The romance was very well-done. Tessa starts off as almost an item with her crush, which prevents instalove quite effectively, and their relational dynamic encounters some interesting obstacles and develops through that conflict in a fascinating way. The end result is very believable. It also wasn’t a super physical/pda/touchy-touchy relationship, which I appreciate. (See the content list at the end of the review for more details.)
The politics and twists were also done super well (I called part of the main one, muahaha). It takes a bit of effort at the beginning to get everyone straight, though, and I found the charts at the beginning helpful. I usually don’t like when I have to supplement my reading so to speak, but with DtN I was already hooked and more than willing to put the time in.
On that note — the narrative voice of the writing talks slower than I’m used to reading. I found I had to slow down my own reading by a little to catch the feel and flow of everything, but again I didn’t mind this because I felt it was intentional and added to the story.
The pacing was brilliant. Threads opened and closed seamlessly, and I wouldn’t say it’s breakneck pacing necessarily, but there was always something compelling me not to put it down. Teach meeeee
As for negatives, I have some nitpicks about prose, and I was a little uncomfortable during a to-be-mentioned “detailed embrace,” but other than that no complaints are coming to mind. I fell hard and fast in love with this book. I would like to see more of Tessa growing as a character in the sequel.
It was immediately and extremely similar to the basic premise and character roles in Midnight Thief by Livia Blackburne, and remained so for a good hundred pages. Some might be put off by this, but I loved Midnight Thief and was fully on board. It developed into its own thing soon enough, though, and (shh don’t tell) I may have even liked it better than MT.
Moderate: Death of parent and Death
Minor: Cursing, Vomit, Sexual content, and Rape
Minimalish content (certainly not as far as Brigid could have gone, which I appreciate): -> 1 each of a-, d-, and b-word. A couple h-s maybe but they’re not coming to mind. -> A few kisses. There is one very *detailed* embrace, but it doesn’t progress. The love interest goes shirtless a couple times (for wound treatment reasons, which at least there’s a reason), and Tessa finds it hard not to ogle. -> Tessa at one point leads her coworker and her employer to believe she’s pregnant, but it’s brief and false and is not a plot point by any means. -> In a scuffle, Tessa’s dress is torn to expose some of her front. Her opposer sits on top of her while this happens. Witnesses spin a scandal, but it’s also brief and false. Plenty of bloody fighting, and moderately-graphic descriptions of death. I’m not one to be too affected by this, but it’s worth mentioning.mrsschreave'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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Blood and Chronic illness
Moderate: Classism, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Torture, and Violence
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Vomit, Alcohol, and Cursing
kbairbooks's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Torture, Violence, Vomit, and War
Moderate: Alcohol
chaptersofmads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Torture, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Terminal illness, Vomit, and Death of parent
Minor: Child death