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crunchycrystals's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and War
Moderate: Alcoholism and Blood
Minor: Sexual content and Vomit
lauren_lovestoread'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? No
5.0
Roman and Iris… SWOON. The tender, simple but sweeping love between them. Ughhhhh.
This was so engaging, romantic, adventurous, thrilling… the perfect romantasy.
Graphic: War
Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, and Alcoholism
a_coop's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Death of parent, Violence, and War
amy_q13'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? No
4.0
Graphic: Child death, War, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Car accident, Classism, Alcoholism, and Addiction
Minor: Forced institutionalization, Sexual content, Physical abuse, and Vomit
amy_in_the_city'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? No
4.75
Graphic: Gore, War, Grief, Blood, Death of parent, Death, Classism, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Moderate: Car accident, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Child death, and Medical content
Minor: Sexual content and Stalking
casaveli's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Death, Alcoholism, Blood, and War
charli03's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Violence, War, Death, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Gun violence
greenlivingaudioworm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
Moderate: Death, Grief, Sexual content, Child death, War, Vomit, Addiction, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Alcohol, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
haddybea14'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? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Death of parent and War
Moderate: Alcohol and Alcoholism
jkneebone's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Eventually, Iris decides to take the search for her brother into her own hands, and takes a job as a war correspondent for a rival paper. She travels to the war front and sees firsthand the toll the war is taking as she helps care for wounded soldiers. She becomes close with Marisol, who runs the B&B correspondents stay at, as well as Attie, a fellow war correspondent. But the dynamic shifts again when a familiar figure from her past arrives as the newest correspondent.
I'm still not entirely sure how I felt about this book, especially the ending, but I'm also definitely planning to read the sequel. I was really enjoying it up until about 60% of the way through, but the second half lost me a bit. I really liked when Iris and Roman were getting to know each other via letters, as well as the mythology about the gods and worldbuilding that we got through their writing. Iris was an interesting character, and I really felt for her as she was trying to do her best without her brother when so many circumstances were conspiring against her. I also liked the glimpse we got of Roman's life and how he is torn between his own desires and guilty obligation to his family.
However in the second half, I felt that the romance plot became too dominant, and a lot of the things I had found interesting fell by the wayside. I didn't dislike the idea of Iris and Roman as a couple, but the romance became so gendered
This would have been more stars for me if it had leaned a little more on the mythology and worldbuilding - because it's a fascinating premise! - and a little less on the highly gendered romance. That being said, it was well written and had enough of interest that I'm willing to keep reading. There is a lot of violence and death, by virtue of it taking place during a war, as well as some minor cursing and one very mild but technically on-the-page sex scene (no explicit language is used but you can tell what's happening).
Graphic: Alcoholism, Violence, War, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Sexual content