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kassidyreads's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Moderate: Blood and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Confinement and Torture
cady_sass's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
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
4.0
I will start by saying that loved this and cried at the end. If YA can bring tears to my eyes, you know there’s at least something solid going on here. I’ll be reading the next one as soon as I get my hands on it!
That said, I’m now 3 books and approximately 2100 pages into this series and I have QUALMS. Questions. This isn’t a knock on this book in particular but at the fact that having read this much there are some things that should be addressed by this point. Definite spoilers below, but at this point in the series you should already know all these things.
1. Hudson and Jackson (and presumably others???? Again, no idea) are centuries old. Why are they NOW, at 200+ years old, graduating high school? Surely there is a plot device that could explain this but it hasn’t been written. Normally it’s a high-school-forever plot line, due to being immortal and never aging and moving around forever etc, but this is a school for paranormal that they haven’t been attending for 200 years. WHY????
2. We are dangerously close to being “no plot, just vibes”. You might say “but so much is happening!” and you would be correct, but when it comes to fantasy some of the pillars of the genre are world building and magic systems and we get NONE of either. Some people are fine with this, I get it! But I want to understand this universe, I want to understand the factions, I want to understand the magic. 2100 pages of content and you can’t throw us a bone? :(
3. The spell/ritual that Lia tried to perform in Crave (yes I realize that was 1400 pages ago) still has not been explained. What exactly was she doing and why was it going to work? How did she find Grace at all let alone kill her parents? What about Grace is it that was the ONLY thing that would make it work, the gargoyle thing, the mate thing, something else? It does stand to reason that this could still be explained, but I the fact that everyone just accepted (seemingly) that Lia could and would bring Hudson back and never asked “how” is baffling to me. You can just bring people back from the dead? They should be more concerned about this.
3. The writing is just… not great. Has this stopped me from reading? Absolutely not. But it needs to be addressed. Just because a book is deemed YA doesn’t mean you have to write it like one. This HAS gotten marginally better with each book but it’s still very elementary.
4. This will be an unpopular opinion (probably) - I find myself questioning both the spice level and the violence/gore detail and the appropriateness for a young audience. As an adult, I read this and want more spice. The scenes are so unsatisfying in the way they are written, but they are written that way because it’s not adult fiction. The violence is vivid and grotesque, you feel those visuals deeply. So I find myself wondering if, even as it’s currently written, if it’s a little too much for a tween reader? Maybe not. But there’s a difference between 12 and 17, and my mom certainly wouldn’t have let 13 year old me read this.
That said, I’m now 3 books and approximately 2100 pages into this series and I have QUALMS. Questions. This isn’t a knock on this book in particular but at the fact that having read this much there are some things that should be addressed by this point. Definite spoilers below, but at this point in the series you should already know all these things.
1. Hudson and Jackson (and presumably others???? Again, no idea) are centuries old. Why are they NOW, at 200+ years old, graduating high school? Surely there is a plot device that could explain this but it hasn’t been written. Normally it’s a high-school-forever plot line, due to being immortal and never aging and moving around forever etc, but this is a school for paranormal that they haven’t been attending for 200 years. WHY????
2. We are dangerously close to being “no plot, just vibes”. You might say “but so much is happening!” and you would be correct, but when it comes to fantasy some of the pillars of the genre are world building and magic systems and we get NONE of either. Some people are fine with this, I get it! But I want to understand this universe, I want to understand the factions, I want to understand the magic. 2100 pages of content and you can’t throw us a bone? :(
3. The spell/ritual that Lia tried to perform in Crave (yes I realize that was 1400 pages ago) still has not been explained. What exactly was she doing and why was it going to work? How did she find Grace at all let alone kill her parents? What about Grace is it that was the ONLY thing that would make it work, the gargoyle thing, the mate thing, something else? It does stand to reason that this could still be explained, but I the fact that everyone just accepted (seemingly) that Lia could and would bring Hudson back and never asked “how” is baffling to me. You can just bring people back from the dead? They should be more concerned about this.
3. The writing is just… not great. Has this stopped me from reading? Absolutely not. But it needs to be addressed. Just because a book is deemed YA doesn’t mean you have to write it like one. This HAS gotten marginally better with each book but it’s still very elementary.
4. This will be an unpopular opinion (probably) - I find myself questioning both the spice level and the violence/gore detail and the appropriateness for a young audience. As an adult, I read this and want more spice. The scenes are so unsatisfying in the way they are written, but they are written that way because it’s not adult fiction. The violence is vivid and grotesque, you feel those visuals deeply. So I find myself wondering if, even as it’s currently written, if it’s a little too much for a tween reader? Maybe not. But there’s a difference between 12 and 17, and my mom certainly wouldn’t have let 13 year old me read this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gaslighting, Genocide, Gore, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Classism, Violence, Vomit, Cursing, Murder, and War
honeybunchesofoats06's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Vomit, War, and Blood
haleybre's review against another edition
adventurous
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, War, Murder, Blood, Confinement, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, and Genocide
bookedandbusy's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
5.0
Loved this book! This series keeps getting better and better! I can’t wait to read the next one!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Confinement, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Car accident
apollo222's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Forced institutionalization
Moderate: War and Violence
Minor: Death, Genocide, Body horror, and Confinement
ashleyvharris's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I don’t know why I keep reading this series other than the fact that I’ve committed to it. The writing is so cringey and feels very much like a parody of how adults think teenagers talk and think.
There are many inconsistencies and instances where Wolff contradicts herself and the details of the story. The magic system in this world conveniently works or fails based on the outcome needed for the scene.
Every book so far in this series had the potential to be a really great fantasy book, but Wolff continually tries to pack in way too much. Too many tropes, storylines, and token representation. It’s almost exhausting trying to keep up with what’s going on.
Wolff tries to include more serious themes and intense emotional moments when grappling with topics of war, death, and loss but it’s always Grace’s internal dialogue. The book is so overstuffed with plot devices that there’s no room for quiet moments of emotion and grief. The few moments that have this potential are cut off by some random occurrence that thrusts the characters into some new deadly situation.
I really appreciate the few times we get to see Jaxon’s fast-deteriorating state. I wish we had seen more of his struggles in this book.
The most under explored and compelling part of this book were the moments where we learn more about Grace, her origin, and the history of this supernatural world. I sincerely hope the 4th book builds on this!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Murder, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Confinement
Minor: Gore, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, and War
theespressoedition's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
sad
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
3.5
Alright, SO, if you've read my reviews for the first two books in the series, you'll know that I've been thoroughly enjoying my time reading this. It's fluffy, trope-y, and just pure entertainment. I've loved learning about all of the different creatures and I definitely want to take a trip to Katmere Academy.
BUT...
This book left me in the dust. I think maybe it just needed to be two separate books? Like pre-prison and getting out of prison? Because so much happened before Hudson and Grace were locked up, but even more happened while they were in there and I got super lost. Like really super lost. I had absolutely no clue what was going on and had the toughest time following as they tried to get out.
Also, what was with the number of betrayals in this one? I literally never learned who I could trust. Even by the end there were people I was still confused about.
And the end... I genuinely shed tears towards the end. Losing characters is never fun but this one stung more than I anticipated. Maybe because I didn't see it coming like I had for the character death in Crave. However, the resurrections for other characters drove me a little batty. Like yes, we get it, they can't die yet, but also... it could've been good if they had?
This is such a rambly review and I feel like that happens after a few books in a series. I get less structured with my thoughts because it's all just how the book makes me feel.
This one made me feel confused and I wanted more from it. Hoping Court brings the good stuff.
BUT...
This book left me in the dust. I think maybe it just needed to be two separate books? Like pre-prison and getting out of prison? Because so much happened before Hudson and Grace were locked up, but even more happened while they were in there and I got super lost. Like really super lost. I had absolutely no clue what was going on and had the toughest time following as they tried to get out.
Also, what was with the number of betrayals in this one? I literally never learned who I could trust. Even by the end there were people I was still confused about.
And the end... I genuinely shed tears towards the end. Losing characters is never fun but this one stung more than I anticipated. Maybe because I didn't see it coming like I had for the character death in Crave. However, the resurrections for other characters drove me a little batty. Like yes, we get it, they can't die yet, but also... it could've been good if they had?
This is such a rambly review and I feel like that happens after a few books in a series. I get less structured with my thoughts because it's all just how the book makes me feel.
This one made me feel confused and I wanted more from it. Hoping Court brings the good stuff.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, War, Blood, Violence, Gore, Torture, and Vomit
Moderate: Suicide and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Sexual content
reads_all_the_books's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Violence, and Sexual content
hexenlibrarian's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Emotional abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Death
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Toxic relationship