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drupelets'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? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Violence, Death of parent, Blood, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Sexual content, Cannibalism, Body horror, and Gore
Moderate: Suicide, Vomit, Alcoholism, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Infidelity, Grief, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, War, Confinement, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Rape, and Physical abuse
Minor: Antisemitism
in chapter 31 a character says they "didn't know they were walking into a canal" (or something along those lines) & I think that Jewish readers may want a heads up because it was a pretty unexpected antisemitic phrasing?jjjreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Grief, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Murder, Sexism, Violence, Slavery, Stalking, Body horror, Cannibalism, Classism, Confinement, Suicide, Xenophobia, Abandonment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Genocide, Police brutality, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Child abuse, Acephobia/Arophobia, Physical abuse, Rape, Cursing, Sexual content, Vomit, Transphobia, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Infidelity
Minor: Sexual violence, Fire/Fire injury, Bullying, Pregnancy, and Sexual assault
marareading's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Rovan is our MC. Her father died when she was young to protect her magic from being discovered. she and her mother lived a quiet life trying to avoid the people that might find her, and take her to the palace to be warded. One day she slips and is discovered and warded. That means she is bound to a spirit/dead man named Ivrilos who is her guardian. She now has to survive this new place, discover who are her friends, enemies, and figure out a way to end this torturous system. Either save herself and escape, or save everyone and find out why this system exists based on clues left by her father.
I did love all the queer rep in the book. There is found family, and definitely some intrigue when trying to decide who she can and can't trust. In the end though I don't strongly recommend.
Graphic: Blood, Death, Death of parent, Violence, Misogyny, Chronic illness, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Grief, Murder, and Sexism
oliverreeds's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Classism, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Grief, Rape, Alcohol, Blood, Confinement, Death, Alcoholism, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Infidelity, Murder, Misogyny, and Sexism
pvbobrien's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Alcohol, Cannibalism, Sexual content, Violence, and Misogyny
Minor: Acephobia/Arophobia, Sexual violence, and Confinement
maxgdy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Blood, Death of parent, Vomit, Body horror, Confinement, Religious bigotry, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual content
andromeda_1998'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
5.0
Characters
I really enjoyed the characters some of theme are precious little beans that should be protected others are plain evil. The writer navigates these extremes with ease and really shows off her talent of writing multidimensional characters.
Plot
The plot is a bit well predictable, and this sounds weird, in a good way. It’s a real fantasy with a girl finding out that she had magical powers and now she has to save the world but in a gothic kind of way.
The plot is dark and before you decide to pick this book up you need to check the triggerwarnings. The writer doesn’t shy away from harsh subjects so be safe.
Writingstyle
This book is fast paced and I would consider it to be an easy read. It’s a book to finish in one setting and while I did precisely that. Did I finish it at around 2 in the morning? Yes… do I regret it? No…. Who needs sleep anyways?
Recommendations
Yes I would for sure recommend this book. I just don’t really know to whom. I think readers who are looking for a darker story with a pansexual polyamorous main character would really enjoy this one.
Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual violence, and Violence
rorikae's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
It centers on Rovan, a bloodmage in the city of Thanopolis, who has been hiding her powers ever since her father was killed. When she discovers that her father's death wasn't quite what she thought and her powers are discovered, she is forced to come to the palace to be bound to a shade. As she learns more about the bloodmages and the world that surrounds her, all while also falling for a princess, she begins to question what is going on in the world and how she can free herself.
A.M. Strickland creates a decadent world wrapped up with intriguing characters and a fascinating magic system. Their extravagant writing matches with the gaudy setting, all while creating a captivating story. Two of the things that stand out the most to me are the characters and the writing. Strickland's world comes to life under her lush prose that provides great detail in a world that is dripping with intricacies. Settled down into this world are characters, some that you love, some that you hate, and others that you may not like but still care deeply for. Rovan is a complex and flawed heroine but I never once stopped liking her, even when the story got especially dark. The queer love stories and the polyamory were perfectly matched to the world.
The only hiccup is that there were some moments where the love stories felt like they moved a bit too quickly though this didn't bother me a great deal. Strickland has created such great characters and the bonds of friendship and family are so strong that things moving too quickly only barely caught my attention. This is such a great book though incredibly dark. I will definitely be picking up more of Strickland's writing.
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Violence, Sexism, Physical abuse, Murder, Misogyny, Grief, Gore, Death of parent, and Death
Moderate: Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Sexual content, and Suicide
achingallover's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
1.0
First 2/3 the characters were inconsistent, shallow and annoying.
Last 1/3 the plot was really interesting, fast paced, with super cool magic. But still didn't make much sense.
It's almost like the last 1/3 was a different book.
Japha was the only good character, and they weren't developed well.
Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Misogyny, Sexual content, Violence, and Vomit
gingercat99'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
4.5
Moderate: Sexual content, Violence, Gore, Death of parent, and Blood
Minor: Confinement and Lesbophobia