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socialpsysteph's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death and War
Moderate: Sexual content and Violence
grayscale08'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
4.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Death, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cursing, Genocide, Gore, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Classism
Minor: Drug use, Vomit, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, and Alcohol
reminiscences's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Death, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, War, and Injury/Injury detail
g_monaghan's review against another edition
I enjoyed the first book a lot but found the sequel really repetitive and formulaic, the introduction of Cat brought an interesting dynamic but the direction it took and the response between Violet and Xaden was too expected and kind of juvenile, and their dialogue started to irritate me towards the end. I think if the book would've been paced differently i'd have persevered but I sadly lost interest. Know this is a popular series for a reason but this book wasn't for me.
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: War
Minor: Death and Torture
redefiningrachel's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Death, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, and War
Moderate: Gore and Sexual content
abbysingh'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
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
fenjaa'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
Graphic: Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
the_library_of_mary's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I enjoyed the first book, even though I had heard some people say it was overhyped. This book was also enjoyable, but I saw people online saying it wasn't anything special. I thought that this book had a lot of set up and was laying ground work to some plot points that will be coming later down the road. I have seen that this is planned to be a 5 book series, so this is exactly how I would assume the second of five books to read.
Violet is a fun narrator. At times she gets a little "typical female lead-y" but overall I enjoy seeing this story through her eyes. Because she is an intelligent character, it allows a lot of lore and world building to show up and be explored which is my favorite part of these type of stories.
Xaden is one of my fave ML at the moment. Perfect amount of simp while still keeping the enemies to lovers vibe that I enjoyed so much in the first book. Obviously Violet and Xaden have realized their feelings for each other.
Fourth Wing team friendships are so fun to read and I love this team of characters that care so much for each other.
Overall this book at darker scenes and steamier scenes than I was expecting, but I enjoyed the setup and cliffhangers in the story (
Graphic: Torture, Violence, and War
savage_book_review's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
There were a few things I'd heard about this book that I was looking forward to discovering, but upon reading they didn't do as much for me as I'd hoped. The 'throne scene', I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it was more than what I got. Not that it didn't make me a little hot under the collar, but it cries out for a comparison to the ACOMAF throne scene, and I know which I found sexier. Similarly, the ending... I can understanding why those that are full on fans are rocked by it, and it's certainly a great hook into the next book, but nevertheless I felt a little underwhelmed. I will absolute be reading Onyx Storm upon its release, but I'm just not feeling that dire impatience for January to get here. I'll add it to my reserve queue at the library and see when it arrives (and make sure I do a full reread before starting it!).
I wasn't a huge fan of Violet's character in this book either. She's just a bit hypocritical and cuts her nose off to spite her face, when the whole thing could have felt more cohesive with a bit of understanding rather than her abrasive stubbornness. It seemed to me that the author had possibly introduced too many characters, what with the number that seemed to fade in and out of the background, or have moments that don't really lead anywhere. I get that every hero needs a good foil, but both Cat and Varrish are wasted; I was just starting to lean into the violent disgust of them both when the author gave them an 'easy' out. Even Andarna, sassy adolescent that she is, only gets a few good lines and not much action. The only character that seemed to stay true to the one plotted out in Fourth Wing was Xaden, and he is by far and away the most interesting character in the cast. And I could definitely do with more Bodhi in my life - he needs to be more than a secondary character!
It is a solid story and the overarching vision is a masterpiece, but it didn't hit enough of my expectations to really shine.
Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
shadowkate's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, and War