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nemonade's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
rainbowsandbookshelves's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
sdloomer's review against another edition
1.0
What was even the plot of this? It seemed like the author mashed every horrible thing into this book and hoped it would get by on shock value alone instead of developed characters, relationships, and worldbuilding. Ghosts, zombies, vampires, creepy cults, deadly environmental hazards, you name it, it's in here--and none of them contribute to the plot in any way, except for a laundry list of things the characters must fix.
Which brings me to the cast and their relationships with each other. I don't know anything about any of these characters, except that they're full of tropes. Rovan comes off as whiny, cruel, and petulant when she doesn't get her way. Japha only seems to be there for comedic relief. Ivrilos is the broody bad boy with a soft heart. Lydea is...I don't even know, because nothing was said about her except that she hates men. The villain is evil just for the sake of being evil with no real motive, and Rovan needed someone to justify her hatred against. Instalove was so prevalent in this book and I almost had to pick my eyes up off of the floor from rolling them so hard.
The magic system(s) could have been interesting enough to save me from boredom, but it was wholly underdeveloped and for the most part, I had no true understanding of how it worked. It seemed like the "rules" were only there for them to be broken in the end by a deus ex machina like solution, which led me to believe the author also had no idea how these systems worked either. That's not to say I dislike "soft" magic systems; it's that I'd prefer if things were a little more explained than "wave your arms in the air with some blood and something happens"--especially since the author gave us a huge infodump about the so-called rules of bloodmagic in the beginning chapters.
All in all, this had great potential, but fell utterly short of my expectations, even with the diversity of the cast.
Which brings me to the cast and their relationships with each other. I don't know anything about any of these characters, except that they're full of tropes. Rovan comes off as whiny, cruel, and petulant when she doesn't get her way. Japha only seems to be there for comedic relief. Ivrilos is the broody bad boy with a soft heart. Lydea is...I don't even know, because nothing was said about her except that she hates men. The villain is evil just for the sake of being evil with no real motive, and Rovan needed someone to justify her hatred against. Instalove was so prevalent in this book and I almost had to pick my eyes up off of the floor from rolling them so hard.
The magic system(s) could have been interesting enough to save me from boredom, but it was wholly underdeveloped and for the most part, I had no true understanding of how it worked. It seemed like the "rules" were only there for them to be broken in the end by a deus ex machina like solution, which led me to believe the author also had no idea how these systems worked either. That's not to say I dislike "soft" magic systems; it's that I'd prefer if things were a little more explained than "wave your arms in the air with some blood and something happens"--especially since the author gave us a huge infodump about the so-called rules of bloodmagic in the beginning chapters.
All in all, this had great potential, but fell utterly short of my expectations, even with the diversity of the cast.
thereadernthebeast's review against another edition
2.0
2.5☆ La construcción del mundo y el sistema de magia me atraparon inmediatamente, los personajes interesantes y creíbles cerraron el contrato. Mis expectativas se dispararon... pero nunca imaginé que una trama tan prometedora sería tan mal llevada. La historia se vino cuesta abajo. DNFed al 76%.
smellymiche's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Violence
Moderate: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Classism, and Alcoholism
marieintheraw's review against another edition
5.0
With a premise promising a pansexual and polyamorous blood-mage, I was both really excited and, to be honest, nervous. A book that sounds so up my alley? How can it end? Well friends, this one has the found family trope we know that I love. AND a really stinking cool magic system. Do not mind me, I'll be over here swooning still.
I received an ecopy of this book through Netgalley; however, my opinions are my own.
I received an ecopy of this book through Netgalley; however, my opinions are my own.
katherinareads's review against another edition
4.0
i went into this book blind, as i usually do with my reads, and let me tell you, i have a knack for picking books based solely on their cover. i mean, just look at it – it's gorgeous! and the story lives up to it. it's dark and compelling, drawing me in right from the beginning. blood manipulation, a fascination of mine, was woven into the narrative, along with an exquisite magic system including blood and death magic, and a sinister underworld infiltrating the living.
when i say this book is action-packed, i mean it. there's never a dull moment in its 400 pages. you'd think with that length, there'd be some stalling, but nope. once you start, you simply can't stop. the main character never seems to catch her breath, but that's mostly by choice. what i mean is, unlike most main characters who tend to be boring, easily pushed around, and play it safe, rovan is unhinged. she acts on all her impulses, even if it lands her in trouble. you can never predict what she'll do next, and honestly, it's captivating. i lost count of how many times i wrote down 'you go girl.' she's a rebel, and a funny one at that. i laughed out loud multiple times at her jokes, which were usually poorly-timed and unhinged.
i thoroughly enjoyed the romantic aspect of the book. the main character's proud and open embrace of her pansexuality was refreshing. she confidently acknowledged her feelings without hesitation, and the support she received from those around her was heartening. speaking of which, the FOUND FAMILY in this one is PHENOMENAL.
the downside: this could have been a duology. the world was incredibly rich, filled with numerous captivating characters begging for deeper exploration. the ending felt rushed, as if the goal was simply to wrap things up hastily. plus, certain character decisions seemed abrupt, leaving me puzzled as to why they suddenly endangered themselves.
when i say this book is action-packed, i mean it. there's never a dull moment in its 400 pages. you'd think with that length, there'd be some stalling, but nope. once you start, you simply can't stop. the main character never seems to catch her breath, but that's mostly by choice. what i mean is, unlike most main characters who tend to be boring, easily pushed around, and play it safe, rovan is unhinged. she acts on all her impulses, even if it lands her in trouble. you can never predict what she'll do next, and honestly, it's captivating. i lost count of how many times i wrote down 'you go girl.' she's a rebel, and a funny one at that. i laughed out loud multiple times at her jokes, which were usually poorly-timed and unhinged.
i thoroughly enjoyed the romantic aspect of the book. the main character's proud and open embrace of her pansexuality was refreshing. she confidently acknowledged her feelings without hesitation, and the support she received from those around her was heartening. speaking of which, the FOUND FAMILY in this one is PHENOMENAL.
the downside: this could have been a duology. the world was incredibly rich, filled with numerous captivating characters begging for deeper exploration. the ending felt rushed, as if the goal was simply to wrap things up hastily. plus, certain character decisions seemed abrupt, leaving me puzzled as to why they suddenly endangered themselves.
annuhfloor's review
3.0
I really loved this book, i loved lydea even though her chemistry with rovan was lacking. However the last part felt too much as if it was for pushing the story forward.
rebecca_dee's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-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
4.75
betharanova's review against another edition
3.0
Another middle of the road read, less from indifference than from the vast chasm between potential and execution.
In the Ravenous Dark follows Rovan, an irreverent young woman in one of the only habitable places left in the world: fantasy Greece. She's been drinking, dallying, and hiding her inherited ability as a blood mage. When the secret comes out one day, she's hauled off to the palace, assigned a ghostly guardian, and betrothed to a prince. This is where the summary waggles its fingers, promising a romance both with the unwanted guardian and with a feisty princess.
All of these characters were intriguing but remained shallow over the course of the book. Whatever impression you form of a character at their first appearance will be correct. All the antagonists are simply evil for the sake of it, so you needn't have any moral dilemmas. Someone's a jerk to Rovan? Look no further: it's because they're evil, so feel free to hate them immediately. Rovan's companions are brimming with potential but offer little besides beauty (which we're reminded of constantly) and unquestionable loyalty to Rovan that I'm not sure how she earned.
Even Rovan was a doozy to pin down, and she narrated 98% of the book in first person. Part of the trouble was that for a good portion of the book, none of her thoughts lined up with her actions. She would think about the situation, arrive at a plan, and then do the complete opposite. Constantly. I didn't like her very much. Later, she got the hang of making decisions and acting on them. It made her vaguely more likeable, but I still couldn't really tell you who she was by the end of the book.
The worldbuilding was very enticing. However, the pieces didn't fit together into a coherent whole. There was misogyny, but not when it was inconvenient. Blood mages were powerful, except they didn't do anything the whole time. Death magic got vaguely hand-waved a lot. The internal rules for society and magic simply didn't line up if you tried to think about them all at once. And you had to swim through a considerable amount of exposition in the first half. That said, it all made for an interesting world to play around in.
Side note on that: the world is set up as very sex-positive and open to different proclivities. So the scene where Rovan and her friends have a conversation about gender and orientation, especially when they explain these concepts in baby-step detail, felt... inorganic? It wasn't bad, but we could have learned it along the way, as we got to know these characters. Instead they sat around and listed their pronouns and sexual orientation like they were in the introduction channel of a Discord server. Also, it's fantasy Greece. I doubt you'd have to gently explain bisexuality in this world.
And the romance, ah. It used such good tropes, and I felt nothing about it. A couple of the characters grew on me, but the chemistry didn't come through. There were 400 pages in this novel, by the way, and Rovan spent a lot of time with each of the characters in question. I should have felt something about the make-out scenes, but I didn't. Perhaps because, like I said above, the characters stayed shallow; perhaps because their tenderest early moments were interrupted by pages of exposition; or perhaps because I couldn't figure out why anyone else liked Rovan. Because all the romance hinged on her. This book promised polyamory, which I guess is what happened. It was more like everyone fell in love with Rovan. Technically polyamory, but I prefer my poly ships with all-around mutual love. Or at least ships where everyone involved has said more than two things to everyone else. A couple of the people involved meet each other at the end of the book, even as they're all declaring their love. Your polycule sucks.
I know I've done nothing but complain about this book. But I love the concept of the guardians from beyond the veil. I like the Skylleans. I love Japha. (Even if they weren't allowed to contribute much of anything beyond, somehow, in a very gay book, being the gay best friend.) I enjoy Ivrilos. I thought the revenant stuff was fun! It just wasn't delivered in a way that had nuance or chemistry. It didn't work for me. But I sense this will be a big hit with a lot of people, and I wish them the best with this one.
In the Ravenous Dark follows Rovan, an irreverent young woman in one of the only habitable places left in the world: fantasy Greece. She's been drinking, dallying, and hiding her inherited ability as a blood mage. When the secret comes out one day, she's hauled off to the palace, assigned a ghostly guardian, and betrothed to a prince. This is where the summary waggles its fingers, promising a romance both with the unwanted guardian and with a feisty princess.
All of these characters were intriguing but remained shallow over the course of the book. Whatever impression you form of a character at their first appearance will be correct. All the antagonists are simply evil for the sake of it, so you needn't have any moral dilemmas. Someone's a jerk to Rovan? Look no further: it's because they're evil, so feel free to hate them immediately. Rovan's companions are brimming with potential but offer little besides beauty (which we're reminded of constantly) and unquestionable loyalty to Rovan that I'm not sure how she earned.
Spoiler
Seriously, she becomes a blood-drinking monster and no one bats an eye. Not that anyone cares Ivrilos literally eats souls. Existential crimes are fine if a good character does them.Even Rovan was a doozy to pin down, and she narrated 98% of the book in first person. Part of the trouble was that for a good portion of the book, none of her thoughts lined up with her actions. She would think about the situation, arrive at a plan, and then do the complete opposite. Constantly. I didn't like her very much. Later, she got the hang of making decisions and acting on them. It made her vaguely more likeable, but I still couldn't really tell you who she was by the end of the book.
The worldbuilding was very enticing. However, the pieces didn't fit together into a coherent whole. There was misogyny, but not when it was inconvenient. Blood mages were powerful, except they didn't do anything the whole time. Death magic got vaguely hand-waved a lot. The internal rules for society and magic simply didn't line up if you tried to think about them all at once. And you had to swim through a considerable amount of exposition in the first half. That said, it all made for an interesting world to play around in.
Side note on that: the world is set up as very sex-positive and open to different proclivities. So the scene where Rovan and her friends have a conversation about gender and orientation, especially when they explain these concepts in baby-step detail, felt... inorganic? It wasn't bad, but we could have learned it along the way, as we got to know these characters. Instead they sat around and listed their pronouns and sexual orientation like they were in the introduction channel of a Discord server. Also, it's fantasy Greece. I doubt you'd have to gently explain bisexuality in this world.
And the romance, ah. It used such good tropes, and I felt nothing about it. A couple of the characters grew on me, but the chemistry didn't come through. There were 400 pages in this novel, by the way, and Rovan spent a lot of time with each of the characters in question. I should have felt something about the make-out scenes, but I didn't. Perhaps because, like I said above, the characters stayed shallow; perhaps because their tenderest early moments were interrupted by pages of exposition; or perhaps because I couldn't figure out why anyone else liked Rovan. Because all the romance hinged on her. This book promised polyamory, which I guess is what happened. It was more like everyone fell in love with Rovan. Technically polyamory, but I prefer my poly ships with all-around mutual love. Or at least ships where everyone involved has said more than two things to everyone else. A couple of the people involved meet each other at the end of the book, even as they're all declaring their love. Your polycule sucks.
I know I've done nothing but complain about this book. But I love the concept of the guardians from beyond the veil. I like the Skylleans. I love Japha. (Even if they weren't allowed to contribute much of anything beyond, somehow, in a very gay book, being the gay best friend.) I enjoy Ivrilos. I thought the revenant stuff was fun! It just wasn't delivered in a way that had nuance or chemistry. It didn't work for me. But I sense this will be a big hit with a lot of people, and I wish them the best with this one.