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laurantor's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Body horror, Death of parent, Blood, Cancer, Murder, Gun violence, Violence, Death, Mass/school shootings, and Physical abuse
calaqua's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Knocking off a star because there were some aspects of the book that irked me. Also check content warnings, I was caught off guard by the gritty content.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Blood, and Torture
Minor: Cancer, Grief, Fatphobia, and Death of parent
hheartbooks's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Gun violence, and Death
Moderate: Cancer and Torture
gondorgirl's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore, Alcohol, Grief, Murder, Torture, Gun violence, Violence, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Terminal illness, Blood, Death of parent, Cancer, and Death
natashaleighton_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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? No
4.0
A Starless Sea meets Ink Blood Sister Scribe, in this gorgeously crafted and unputdownable debut that, (though a little dark at times) stole my heart with its immersive and irresistibly addictive storytelling.
Spanning multiple POVs (and quite a few timelines) I was blown away by how detailed and intricately woven every aspect seemed to be—but I was especially impressed with the development of the characters!
Multifaceted and full of emotion, their complex personal journeys and interconnected backstories (which touch upon themes of grief, loss, loneliness and pain) captured the essence of the human condition (in all its raw and chaotically flawed glory) to perfection. I was on the edge of my seat and emotionally invested every step of the way—especially when it came to our introverted protagonist, Cassie; whose endearing journey of grief, love and tender (found family-esque) friendship really resonated with me.
I should probably mention the pacing was a little slow to start, but it didn’t take long to pick up speed, which is when things really started to get interesting. And the plot twists! I was amazed by how perfectly timed and practically never ending they were, which (if you’re anything like me) will definitely make for a nail bitingly intense reading experience.
Overall, this was a well plotted and exquisitely action packed fantasy that’s perfect for fans of magical realism, time travelling books and Erin Morgenstern- style whimsy. Just be sure to check the TWs beforehand.
Also a huge thank you to Izzie over at Transworld/Bantam for the physical proof.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Cancer, Death of parent, Grief, and Torture
Minor: Vomit, Misogyny, and Animal death
annaavian's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
I had high hopes for this book but unfortunately I ended up being disappointed.
The storytelling felt basic and didn't offer anything particularly new or interesting, with the narrative dwelling too long in one time period. The characters, both heroes and villains, were unremarkable and at times felt like caricatures. They all sounded much younger than intended which made some violent scenes feel really out of place.
Despite the complexity of the story, it failed to encompass true depth. The simple writing style, heavy with similes and repetition, poor pacing, excessive focus on the inauthentic romance, and overly detailed scenes limited the imagination and detracted from the fantastical elements.
The storytelling felt basic and didn't offer anything particularly new or interesting, with the narrative dwelling too long in one time period. The characters, both heroes and villains, were unremarkable and at times felt like caricatures. They all sounded much younger than intended which made some violent scenes feel really out of place.
Despite the complexity of the story, it failed to encompass true depth. The simple writing style, heavy with similes and repetition, poor pacing, excessive focus on the inauthentic romance, and overly detailed scenes limited the imagination and detracted from the fantastical elements.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent, Cancer, and Grief
Minor: Vomit, Misogyny, and Animal death
_krysta's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
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
4.0
This book was thought provoking and has an interesting premise. I enjoyed the overall theme of good versus bad, and how a thirst for power can corrupt. There was a surprising cast of diverse characters I wouldn't have expected to team together so well. The bad people were truly evil, which is where a lot of the horror and violence comes in. So truly consider content warnings on that front, there are some brutal murders. It goes to show how a lot of pain and suffering can lead others to inflict the worst upon the world. I felt the magic books was unique and enjoyed learning how each worked. It was also reflective on how a book can be used for good and bad, depending on the users intentions. I thought the characters also showed immense growth by the end. We get insight into each one and I appreciated the third person omniscent narration for that purpose. The time travel was well done, I didn't have to work too hard to keep track of the time jumps.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Body horror, Gun violence, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Cancer, Torture, Death of parent, Blood, and Grief
Minor: Racism, Cursing, Eating disorder, Alcohol, and Misogyny
Gruesome death, hateful language by antagonists. Eating disorder minor, really just random comments on food by 2nd fmc.aylajn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
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? No
4.75
Either this book was not predictable at all or I was so engrossed that I wasn’t trying to figure out what was coming. Either way, it was so compelling and creative.
The only reason I won’t give this a full 5 stars is that the level of pure evil from the villains in this story simply did not fit with the tone of the rest of the book. Those scenes, though very short in relation to the rest of the story, were overly disturbing in comparison with the whimsy, adventure, friendship, and beauty of the rest of the story.
Major spoiler below:
I will say the very last scene with The Woman where she essentially soaks up all of Hugo’s pain filled in that last gap and made sense of the evil. But that made me so sad for that little girl who became The Woman, and I wished that there was a way that she could have been saved from her pain the way that Hugo was. She became who she was unknowingly because of him, and I wish she could have been redeemed.
The only reason I won’t give this a full 5 stars is that the level of pure evil from the villains in this story simply did not fit with the tone of the rest of the book. Those scenes, though very short in relation to the rest of the story, were overly disturbing in comparison with the whimsy, adventure, friendship, and beauty of the rest of the story.
Major spoiler below:
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Self harm, Suicide, Racism, Racial slurs, Cancer, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, and Blood
what_courtreads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Torture, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Cancer, and Death of parent
frenchkey's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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
Fascinating worldbuilding. The author builds tension well and has a deft hand with foreshadowing. I really enjoyed the various characters and relationships and the twists and turns in the plot were fascinating. Every time I felt I knew what was going to happen, I was surprised. Cassie's emotional journey was well realised. A very enjoyable read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Gun violence, Death, Blood, Violence, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Misogyny, Grief, Cancer, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Kidnapping and Vomit