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julee_melii's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Death of parent, Death, Slavery, and Grief
Moderate: Pregnancy, Car accident, Gore, Rape, Abandonment, Body horror, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Racism
Minor: Transphobia, Bullying, and Sexism
imds's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Death, Slavery, Violence, Abandonment, Body horror, Grief, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Murder, Police brutality, Blood, Confinement, Colonisation, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Religious bigotry, Racism, Rape, and Injury/Injury detail
sophiesmallhands's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Grief, Racism, and Mental illness
Moderate: Pregnancy, Child abuse, Gore, Death of parent, Violence, Abandonment, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Bullying, Slavery, Sexism, and Classism
Minor: Rape, Police brutality, and Car accident
unicornofthesea'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
5.0
Graphic: Murder, Classism, Death of parent, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Blood, Sexism, and Racism
Minor: Medical content, Rape, Car accident, Abandonment, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, and Slavery
vaguely_pink'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: Death of parent, Grief, and Racism
Moderate: Death, Child death, Classism, Car accident, Sexism, Transphobia, and Slavery
Minor: Colonisation, Abandonment, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail
patienceholmes'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
4.5
I personally found it a little too cliche with the romance aspects but I think so many people would love it for that and that’s personal taste.
Aside from that it was really great. I loved the focus on grief, I loved the magic system and learning how it all worked, I loved the way the characters were expanded on and delving deeper into their backstories.
Graphic: Sexism, Grief, Racism, and Death of parent
Moderate: Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Gaslighting, Death, Abandonment, War, Slavery, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Misogyny, Car accident, and Bullying
Minor: Infidelity, Rape, Pregnancy, Child abuse, and Racial slurs
clairew97's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Infertility, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Racism, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Body horror, Gore, Grief, Slavery, Violence, Abandonment, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Classism, Pregnancy, War, Murder, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Alcohol, Cursing, Misogyny, Rape, Car accident, and Stalking
erebus53's review against another edition
- 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
Being one of the few Black girls on campus, Bree finds being in an elite society of blood and oath bonded mages pretty irksome. She is continually reminded that she doesn't belong, whether being mistaken as wait-staff, assumed to have been allowed entry as "affirmative action", or just wandering in the school gardens and finding a monument to the nameless slaves who built the campus.
Her boyfriend's paranoid bodyguard is sure that she's actually secretly a demon who is trying to manipulate or kill him... and just when she feels like she might be getting a grip on what is going on, she meets with a woman who used to know her mother, who tells her that this order of Blood Mages she has met with, are colonial scum who have stolen their magic, who never consider balance, and who are causing most of the imbalance that is drawing evil manifestations into the world.
And how do you learn all this stuff and still keep it secret from your childhood best friend.. with whom you are supposed to be living the college dream? To get anywhere Bree is going to have to start being honest with herself, get in touch with her own power, and be vulnerable enough to ask for help from unlikely places.
We've got a bit of diversity despite things being very White-centric. One of the main characters has relationships with guys and girls, another is non-binary gender (they/them), and Bree's best friend Alice is Taiwanese American. I've listened to a few books that have been read by Joniece Abbott-Pratt and she does a solid job, but in this particular book where most of the characters are White, it makes my brain work doubly hard. I have to keep reminding myself that the young men she is hanging out with are not Black. It's very easy for my brain to be lulled into the idea that Selwyn is a Black lad, because that's how his voice sounds in the narration. Maybe I just need to concentrate harder.
Quite a lengthy book, but it really does close off with a "first book feel" that leaves you wondering about enough to bring you back for another round... maybe later though.
Graphic: Mental illness, Slavery, Bullying, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racism, Sexism, War, Child abuse, Grief, Kidnapping, Medical content, Abandonment, Classism, Colonisation, Gore, Alcohol, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Violence, and Misogyny
Moderate: Rape, Vomit, and Cancer
spooderman's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Forced institutionalization, Colonisation, Bullying, Grief, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Classism, Gore, Adult/minor relationship, Racism, Slavery, Death, Car accident, Confinement, Body horror, Violence, Sexism, Misogyny, Torture, Hate crime, Death of parent, Abandonment, War, Mental illness, Medical content, Emotional abuse, Deportation, Cursing, Cultural appropriation, Blood, Ableism, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Pregnancy, Addiction, Alcohol, Rape, Animal death, Religious bigotry, Animal cruelty, Infidelity, Fire/Fire injury, and Xenophobia
Minor: Sexual assault, Vomit, and Suicidal thoughts
sarah_loves_books'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
4.5
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Grief, and Racism
Minor: Abandonment, Rape, Blood, Slavery, Alcoholism, Violence, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Car accident