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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
adventurous
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I spent a lot of this very engaging read going, "Lope, she doesn't deserve you, baby." Which is at the crux of the story, in the end:
Ofelia and Lope love each other. Lope is a knight, and Ofelia her lady. Through thick and thin they have been together, and as Shadows threaten their land. They are attempting to consider an escape to La Chateau, where the King resides and no Shadows, terrifying creatures that steal breath, can reach.
Well, in the end things go wrong at home, and despite being forbidden to make the journey, they make the journey alone. Ofelia is a novelty to the court, and a country bumpkin at that, and Lope is her stalwart companion until they find out in a cruel twist of fate that that King Leo, blessed by the Gods, had an affair with her mother and that she is his child, not her mother's husband's -- who had died a year previous on the front lines.
Things get complicated from there; court politics, apathy versus struggle, the rich versus the plight of the poor. Classism steeps every page, and Lope sees people like her suffer while Ofelia forgets why they came because she is seduced by the comfort of La Chateau and having a father after all these years.
In the end there are plot twists, dark gods, fairy tale logic galore, and it blends together in a beautiful mΓ©lange of this heartfelt sapphic storybook romance where the third act break up actually feels necessary and not contrived, and where sacrifice teaches a God what it is like to love.
The prose is lush and full of emotion. The poetry evocative but simple. Ofelia and Lope are very different people, and they both grow and love in different ways. Even the most dangerous of characters grows and changes -- the only one who stays static is our villain.
Honestly, great read if you want to sink into something that's too dark to be cozy fantasy, but will still provide love, hope and a romantic end to a romantic (in all the meanings of the word) tale.
Ofelia and Lope love each other. Lope is a knight, and Ofelia her lady. Through thick and thin they have been together, and as Shadows threaten their land. They are attempting to consider an escape to La Chateau, where the King resides and no Shadows, terrifying creatures that steal breath, can reach.
Well, in the end things go wrong at home, and despite being forbidden to make the journey, they make the journey alone. Ofelia is a novelty to the court, and a country bumpkin at that, and Lope is her stalwart companion until they find out in a cruel twist of fate that that King Leo, blessed by the Gods, had an affair with her mother and that she is his child, not her mother's husband's -- who had died a year previous on the front lines.
Things get complicated from there; court politics, apathy versus struggle, the rich versus the plight of the poor. Classism steeps every page, and Lope sees people like her suffer while Ofelia forgets why they came because she is seduced by the comfort of La Chateau and having a father after all these years.
In the end there are plot twists, dark gods, fairy tale logic galore, and it blends together in a beautiful mΓ©lange of this heartfelt sapphic storybook romance where the third act break up actually feels necessary and not contrived, and where sacrifice teaches a God what it is like to love.
The prose is lush and full of emotion. The poetry evocative but simple. Ofelia and Lope are very different people, and they both grow and love in different ways. Even the most dangerous of characters grows and changes -- the only one who stays static is our villain.
Honestly, great read if you want to sink into something that's too dark to be cozy fantasy, but will still provide love, hope and a romantic end to a romantic (in all the meanings of the word) tale.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Classism
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Death of parent
adventurous
challenging
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
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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
Such a lovely tale! This was a fun and fast read, full of adventure, romance, familial love, and beauty. I especially enjoyed the latter half of the book and flew through it. The ending is so sweet! π
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
slow-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
adventurous
mysterious
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
what a great surprise this book was!
I picked it up on a whim after falling in love with the cover and I am so glad I did!
Story, characters, world building and the back and forth between the two main characters were really well done. I loved that Bakewell gave us a few chapters of each perspective before switching which worked well with the flow of the story.
I found Blakewell's writing to be a bit flowery of sorts but it works well within the fantasy and her world building to paint a very vivid picture for me to see as I read along, not to mention the yearning between the characters and the mystery of the story itself. I like the mystery of the shadows and what Lope uncovers as the book progresses, very well done all in all.
ππ»ππ»ππ»
I picked it up on a whim after falling in love with the cover and I am so glad I did!
Story, characters, world building and the back and forth between the two main characters were really well done. I loved that Bakewell gave us a few chapters of each perspective before switching which worked well with the flow of the story.
I found Blakewell's writing to be a bit flowery of sorts but it works well within the fantasy and her world building to paint a very vivid picture for me to see as I read along, not to mention the yearning between the characters and the mystery of the story itself. I like the mystery of the shadows and what Lope uncovers as the book progresses, very well done all in all.
ππ»ππ»ππ»
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic relationship