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betweentheshelves's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Well...that was not really what I was expecting. I went in thinking it was going to be a magical heist novel, with action and magic and a morally grey crew. That definitely isn't what this book is, so just know that going in.
I had seen somewhere that this is being marketed as Six of Crows meets How To Get Away With Murder. Much of the book is focused on the trial of Cayder's sister. Which is fine, it just felt like it went on for too long. I wanted more action, more about the magical system, more about the world. And I didn't really get it.
The characters also kind of fell a bit flat for me. I do think they get better by the end, but I honestly didn't really feel much of a connection to any of them. And wiwth that ending, there better be another book. Because what? Such an abrupt, cliff hanger-esque ending. Like, I don't think this story ends there, but there's nothing indicating that there's going to be a second book.
All in all, if you're interested in magical court cases, this is definitely something that you'll enjoy! Just know that it's going to be a bit slower than you might expect.
I had seen somewhere that this is being marketed as Six of Crows meets How To Get Away With Murder. Much of the book is focused on the trial of Cayder's sister. Which is fine, it just felt like it went on for too long. I wanted more action, more about the magical system, more about the world. And I didn't really get it.
The characters also kind of fell a bit flat for me. I do think they get better by the end, but I honestly didn't really feel much of a connection to any of them. And wiwth that ending, there better be another book. Because what? Such an abrupt, cliff hanger-esque ending. Like, I don't think this story ends there, but there's nothing indicating that there's going to be a second book.
All in all, if you're interested in magical court cases, this is definitely something that you'll enjoy! Just know that it's going to be a bit slower than you might expect.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Death
Moderate: Murder, Violence, and Death of parent
Minor: Sexism, Suicide, and Toxic relationship
jenny_librarian's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
2.5
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
This… was not what I expected. It had some potential, but the story took too long to develop and lacked balanced. It took two-thirds of the book just to get to the point where they came up with the idea of a jailbreak. I legit thought up until that point that the whole thing would just end up being the story of Leta’s trial.
There’s also absolutely no chemistry between the characters. The ones who had the most chemistry were Cayder and Kema (and that couple would have made so much more sense…), and Cayder and Jey. But the “real couples” felt very much like your typical fill-the-slots YA straight romance. One of them wasn’t necessary, and the other was a bit too weird.
As for the writing, it didn’t hook me in. The different POVs (1st and 3rd) were distracting, and I feel like the worldbuilding lacked in some place. It didn’t help that the illustrations weren’t included, so I had big grey squares were they would go in the final version.
A very disappointing read that left me lacking interest in the plot. I assume it will be the first in a series, but I have no intention of reading more.
This… was not what I expected. It had some potential, but the story took too long to develop and lacked balanced. It took two-thirds of the book just to get to the point where they came up with the idea of a jailbreak. I legit thought up until that point that the whole thing would just end up being the story of Leta’s trial.
There’s also absolutely no chemistry between the characters. The ones who had the most chemistry were Cayder and Kema (and that couple would have made so much more sense…), and Cayder and Jey. But the “real couples” felt very much like your typical fill-the-slots YA straight romance. One of them wasn’t necessary, and the other was a bit too weird.
As for the writing, it didn’t hook me in. The different POVs (1st and 3rd) were distracting, and I feel like the worldbuilding lacked in some place. It didn’t help that the illustrations weren’t included, so I had big grey squares were they would go in the final version.
A very disappointing read that left me lacking interest in the plot. I assume it will be the first in a series, but I have no intention of reading more.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Toxic relationship, Sexism, and Violence
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