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meant2breading'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Vampires? Yes. Strong female lead? Yes. Little bit of horror and dark, gothic fantasy? YES!
Pros:
*Celine’s fierceness! She is definitely a bit of me. Love her!!
*The tension and forbidden romance in this book was on point. Heads up it is very low on the spice level, but that worked for me, especially as the plot escalated later on in the story.
*Though the beginning felt slow for me, half way through I ended up not being able to put it down and it absolutely disrupted my normal work week routine! 😂
*I appreciated challenging the idea of gender roles/norms.
*Mr. ARJUN DESAI 😍
*Includes a villain POV
*Murder mystery!
Cons:
*While I loved the dark and historical setting, I felt it could have better described New Orleans specifically.
*Writing style wasn’t my favorite.
*The plot twist!! 😫 Not necessarily a con but dang I could not put the book down when it was revealed.
I can understand why some people have rated this lower because there are a lot of vampire and werewolf type stories to compare this to, but I enjoyed reading this book! I plan to read the rest of the quartet.
Pros:
*Celine’s fierceness! She is definitely a bit of me. Love her!!
*The tension and forbidden romance in this book was on point. Heads up it is very low on the spice level, but that worked for me, especially as the plot escalated later on in the story.
*Though the beginning felt slow for me, half way through I ended up not being able to put it down and it absolutely disrupted my normal work week routine! 😂
*I appreciated challenging the idea of gender roles/norms.
*Mr. ARJUN DESAI 😍
*Includes a villain POV
*Murder mystery!
Cons:
*While I loved the dark and historical setting, I felt it could have better described New Orleans specifically.
*Writing style wasn’t my favorite.
*The plot twist!! 😫 Not necessarily a con but dang I could not put the book down when it was revealed.
I can understand why some people have rated this lower because there are a lot of vampire and werewolf type stories to compare this to, but I enjoyed reading this book! I plan to read the rest of the quartet.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual violence, Racism, Stalking, and Violence
takarakei's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The beginning of this was very interesting, but it kinda lost me in the middle. I've heard book 2 is much better so I might continue on audio.
did w/ audio narration which was good
🌶️3/5 from what I remember it was open door but not overly descriptive
did w/ audio narration which was good
🌶️3/5 from what I remember it was open door but not overly descriptive
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Gore, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Violence
Minor: Racism
prunechips's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Stalking
Moderate: Misogyny, Racism, and Murder
Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual violence
georgisabina's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
the vibes were a bit off. i mean, i picked up this book having big expectations because i really liked the wrath and the dawn series and still do, and knowing renee always creates a good atmosphere, i thought this is gonna be the same. boy, was i wrong.
the relationships between characters dont make any sense, like at all. i can't even begin to comprehend why she would like him, given the fact that they had like three conversations, and only one of them was notable. be for real, you cant look me in the eye and tell me that after three to four conversations and a kiss that ended dare i say horribly, she's willing to give up her memories of him so he can live.
it was also very slow, despite the fact that i read it fast. it made me feel like the action was stagnant, was slowed down by unnecessary events, that had, at the end of the day, no point, in any fashion. the events that are described in this book dont seem very intentional, and i was annoyed at some points because i couldn't, wouldn't find any purpose for them. the plot twist became kinda predictable, the ending underwhelming. let's say that the turn the events took was not what i had expected, and left many things to be desired.
the characters lack a certain depth and purpose, and i truly believe that's what made this book be this much of a disappointment, really. their beliefs and struggles are all over the place. all of the potential they had falls into a sea of an unnecessary repeat of the fact that we dont know anything about them. i dont see why i should read that many pages about pippa when i don't have any bit of information (besides little crumbs of backstory about her father here and there) to understand her reasonings. or why i should put that my thought in celines past when she doesn't seem to have any regard or remorse for what shes done, and on top of that she accepts really fast that shes not made for the proper society. which doesn't really go hand in hand with her altruism and selflessness. i feel like her character could have been so much better, yet she barely passes as a midly ok one. bastien seemed to be there for the sake of a mysterious love interest, who is a concerning combination of a golden retriever male lead best friend and a bad boy with a tragic past. the rest of the characters are straight out flat, and its kinda sad to watch because every bit of their actions is predictable (like name one person who didn't think odette to be a lesbian).
the found family trope is hanging by its nails, desperately trying to be observed and taken into consideration.
i was annoyed, to say the least, at the tiny bits of french scattered along the sentences. like a full sentence is okay, but don't tell 'people we're drinking cafe au lait/she put a chemise on' (or something along the lines), it sounds stupid, honestly.
i am truly disappointed in this book, and it is, to me, pretty much a fail. (i will read the next one, tho, solely because im curious)
the relationships between characters dont make any sense, like at all. i can't even begin to comprehend why she would like him, given the fact that they had like three conversations, and only one of them was notable. be for real, you cant look me in the eye and tell me that after three to four conversations and a kiss that ended dare i say horribly, she's willing to give up her memories of him so he can live.
it was also very slow, despite the fact that i read it fast. it made me feel like the action was stagnant, was slowed down by unnecessary events, that had, at the end of the day, no point, in any fashion. the events that are described in this book dont seem very intentional, and i was annoyed at some points because i couldn't, wouldn't find any purpose for them. the plot twist became kinda predictable, the ending underwhelming. let's say that the turn the events took was not what i had expected, and left many things to be desired.
the characters lack a certain depth and purpose, and i truly believe that's what made this book be this much of a disappointment, really. their beliefs and struggles are all over the place. all of the potential they had falls into a sea of an unnecessary repeat of the fact that we dont know anything about them. i dont see why i should read that many pages about pippa when i don't have any bit of information (besides little crumbs of backstory about her father here and there) to understand her reasonings. or why i should put that my thought in celines past when she doesn't seem to have any regard or remorse for what shes done, and on top of that she accepts really fast that shes not made for the proper society. which doesn't really go hand in hand with her altruism and selflessness. i feel like her character could have been so much better, yet she barely passes as a midly ok one. bastien seemed to be there for the sake of a mysterious love interest, who is a concerning combination of a golden retriever male lead best friend and a bad boy with a tragic past. the rest of the characters are straight out flat, and its kinda sad to watch because every bit of their actions is predictable (like name one person who didn't think odette to be a lesbian).
the found family trope is hanging by its nails, desperately trying to be observed and taken into consideration.
i was annoyed, to say the least, at the tiny bits of french scattered along the sentences. like a full sentence is okay, but don't tell 'people we're drinking cafe au lait/she put a chemise on' (or something along the lines), it sounds stupid, honestly.
i am truly disappointed in this book, and it is, to me, pretty much a fail. (i will read the next one, tho, solely because im curious)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Rape, and Racism
ashlislibrary's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Murder, Rape, and Racism
phoxyphoenix's review against another edition
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Stalking, and Death
Moderate: Murder, Racism, Violence, Sexism, Colonisation, and Classism
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
gattolinos_nerdy_nook's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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? It's complicated
4.25
I loved reading this book. The characters are so much fun, and the plot lends itself to feel more like a historical mystery feel than a historical magical realism. The magical realism you get doesn't overwhelm, but it is used to help set the mood and tone of the story.
The cast of characters are from all walks of life ad backgrounds. All of them have their own stories to tell, which made the interactions a lot more compelling as you start to theories who they are, where they come from, and what they are hiding.
The story also lends itself to a bit of theorising what was happening and even second guessing myself about it being a magical realism. This book did a lot of setup for the series, but also worked its own plot. It feels like it was written like a prequel, especially the with the ending.
I am very excited to pick up the sequel and see where this story goes. I recommend this for anyone who wants to read a historical book with gothic vibes. It does an excellent job of setting that sort of tone and mood.
The cast of characters are from all walks of life ad backgrounds. All of them have their own stories to tell, which made the interactions a lot more compelling as you start to theories who they are, where they come from, and what they are hiding.
The story also lends itself to a bit of theorising what was happening and even second guessing myself about it being a magical realism. This book did a lot of setup for the series, but also worked its own plot. It feels like it was written like a prequel, especially the with the ending.
I am very excited to pick up the sequel and see where this story goes. I recommend this for anyone who wants to read a historical book with gothic vibes. It does an excellent job of setting that sort of tone and mood.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Minor: Slavery, Xenophobia, and Racism
siglerbooknook's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault
Minor: Death of parent and Abandonment
mermay's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Torture, and Violence
Minor: Rape, Racism, Sexism, and Stalking
allyordyna's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Woah. Blew twilight out of the water, I must say.🤯
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Murder
Moderate: Classism, Gore, Violence, Sexual assault, and Sexism
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Stalking, Religious bigotry, Rape, and Racism