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whynotreadwithalex's review against another edition
adventurous
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
5.0
Writing a review for a book that completely stole my heart is always a challenge. It's especially difficult to describe the ways in which this kind of book makes a reader feel seen -- not simply a story or cast of characters that you can relate to, but one that is so extraordinary that it reminds you why you fell in love with reading in the first place. This is one of those books for me.
Truth be told, I originally picked up this book because I wanted to read another book by Kelly Andrew -- Your Blood, My Bones -- that is set in the same universe and I didn't want to miss out on any important details. The plot intrigued me, but I wasn't expecting to be so completely swept up in the narrative that the story buried itself into my bones. I was surprisingly captivated, to say the least.
Lane and Colton...wow. Theirs is a story of heartbreaking tragedy, new hope fluttering to life in the darkest of places, and a tangled web of fate and lies and beautifully broken bits slowly mended by love and time. Their story is haunting...literally. It's achingly beautiful. It's horrifying, at times, and struggles with honesty and freedom amid power plays, paranormal agendas, and death that lingers. It's a masterpiece.
And the writing style is brilliant: wistful, sweeping, mysterious, unnerving, withholding, heart-wrenching, and unique. Amazing, truly amazing.
What you're getting:
--> from her POV, enemies-to-lovers; from his POV, he's loved her all his life
--> dark academia meets gender-bent Ella Enchanted vibes meets Hades and Persephone retelling/Beauty and the Beast (you decide which is which)
--> spooky spook galore: we've got creepy cult dudes, Wednesday (the TV show) thriller vibes, a multiverse to explore, and the dead...always lurking
--> deaf FMC with paranormal gifts x overprotective, working behind the scenes, secretive Mr. Darcy type MMC who is obsessed with her
If you can't tell, I absolutely loved this book and will be reading everything that Kelly Andrew writes. This is an immediate 5-star read for me, I cannot recommend it enough, and has easily made it to my FAVORITES shelf.
Fearless. Brilliant. Sweepingly romantic. Thrilling and mysterious. Creative and unique. Dark. Captivating. Aesthetic. Addicting. Beautiful.
Truth be told, I originally picked up this book because I wanted to read another book by Kelly Andrew -- Your Blood, My Bones -- that is set in the same universe and I didn't want to miss out on any important details. The plot intrigued me, but I wasn't expecting to be so completely swept up in the narrative that the story buried itself into my bones. I was surprisingly captivated, to say the least.
Lane and Colton...wow. Theirs is a story of heartbreaking tragedy, new hope fluttering to life in the darkest of places, and a tangled web of fate and lies and beautifully broken bits slowly mended by love and time. Their story is haunting...literally. It's achingly beautiful. It's horrifying, at times, and struggles with honesty and freedom amid power plays, paranormal agendas, and death that lingers. It's a masterpiece.
And the writing style is brilliant: wistful, sweeping, mysterious, unnerving, withholding, heart-wrenching, and unique. Amazing, truly amazing.
What you're getting:
--> from her POV, enemies-to-lovers; from his POV, he's loved her all his life
--> dark academia meets gender-bent Ella Enchanted vibes meets Hades and Persephone retelling/Beauty and the Beast (you decide which is which)
--> spooky spook galore: we've got creepy cult dudes, Wednesday (the TV show) thriller vibes, a multiverse to explore, and the dead...always lurking
--> deaf FMC with paranormal gifts x overprotective, working behind the scenes, secretive Mr. Darcy type MMC who is obsessed with her
If you can't tell, I absolutely loved this book and will be reading everything that Kelly Andrew writes. This is an immediate 5-star read for me, I cannot recommend it enough, and has easily made it to my FAVORITES shelf.
Fearless. Brilliant. Sweepingly romantic. Thrilling and mysterious. Creative and unique. Dark. Captivating. Aesthetic. Addicting. Beautiful.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Child death, Cursing, Death, Torture, Violence, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
kassidyreads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Death
Moderate: Ableism, Body horror, Violence, Grief, and Abandonment
Minor: Dementia, Car accident, and Fire/Fire injury
inirac's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
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
4.5
Pleasantly surprised by this book! I chose this to fulfill a prompt for a reading challenge and it was exactly what I was hoping for. The main character’s disability is a focus to the plot, but in a way that was unique to the fantastical world. When I started I was worried this would be too much of a teen coming of age story, but it was much more than that. The romance was a little saccharine at times but honestly I liked the characters enough later in the book I didn’t mind.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Child death, Death, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Violence, Stalking, Murder, and Abandonment
bibliomania_express's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
- 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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Child death, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Body horror, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Minor: Cancer, Toxic relationship, Dementia, and Car accident
chronicacademia's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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, Child death, Death, Sexual content, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism
jassieex's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Abandonment
ttumbletree's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
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
i really really enjoyed this book!
i loved the representation in it, as well as the world it was set in and the characters different voices and especially their interactions (the amount of times i chuckled to myself and wrote the word “same” in this book is just…. a lot, okay? 😂)
the one thing i would’ve enjoyed a bit more is if more of the book had focused on lane’s relationship with her friends. i think it would’ve given her more agency and would’ve made their developing friendships feel a bit more natural ☺️ oh and there were just a lot of descriptions of colors where the author used flowers/plants as descriptors and it got a bit confusing at times… (there were a solid 50 pages throughout which i was struggling to understand what the mc’s eye color was… i enjoy flowery descriptions a lot, but i also enjoy understanding certain bits… like the eye color of the mc if it’s being pointed out this much.) but this feels more like a side note to me personally. (also in case your wondering, lane’s eyes are green… at least i think so 😂)
long story short, i really enjoyed the book and will definitely recommend it to friends and maybe even reread it one day.
a solid 4⭐️ read!
i loved the representation in it, as well as the world it was set in and the characters different voices and especially their interactions (the amount of times i chuckled to myself and wrote the word “same” in this book is just…. a lot, okay? 😂)
the one thing i would’ve enjoyed a bit more is if more of the book had focused on lane’s relationship with her friends. i think it would’ve given her more agency and would’ve made their developing friendships feel a bit more natural ☺️ oh and there were just a lot of descriptions of colors where the author used flowers/plants as descriptors and it got a bit confusing at times… (there were a solid 50 pages throughout which i was struggling to understand what the mc’s eye color was… i enjoy flowery descriptions a lot, but i also enjoy understanding certain bits… like the eye color of the mc if it’s being pointed out this much.) but this feels more like a side note to me personally. (also in case your wondering, lane’s eyes are green… at least i think so 😂)
long story short, i really enjoyed the book and will definitely recommend it to friends and maybe even reread it one day.
a solid 4⭐️ read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Violence, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Gore, Dementia, Gaslighting, and Abandonment