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werewolvesnotswearwolves's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Murder, Violence, Blood, and Car accident
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, Lesbophobia, Mental illness, Racism, Torture, Gaslighting, and Emotional abuse
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
emotional
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
4.0
Lately, vampire stories in the YA realm have been a bit hit or miss for me, but I enjoyed the way Sterling imagined vampires in this one! The concept of the Death Oracle made for some interestinig twists to the way we typically image vampires. This is the second book where they focus on the fact that teenagers shouldn't be turned into vampires because their brains aren't fully developed, and I think Claire does a good job showing why. This book takes it further than the previous one, and I think it makes it more believable.
Both Elise and Claire have distinct voices throughout the book, and the way their relationship evolved felt realistic. I also appreciated the fact that Elise didn't realize she was queer until later in the novel, and the conversations about identity were on point. I love rep like this because queer identities aren't clear cut for everyone, and seeing characters who are also working to figure it out speaks volumes for teens who are also trying to figure it out.
There were a few things throughout the book regarding world building that could have been fleshed out a little more, but all in all, this is definitely an entertaining, enjoyable read!
Both Elise and Claire have distinct voices throughout the book, and the way their relationship evolved felt realistic. I also appreciated the fact that Elise didn't realize she was queer until later in the novel, and the conversations about identity were on point. I love rep like this because queer identities aren't clear cut for everyone, and seeing characters who are also working to figure it out speaks volumes for teens who are also trying to figure it out.
There were a few things throughout the book regarding world building that could have been fleshed out a little more, but all in all, this is definitely an entertaining, enjoyable read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Mental illness, Pedophilia, and Violence
Minor: Cursing, Drug use, and Homophobia
alexfromistemor's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
So, I finally got this in my hands, and I enjoyed it. It wasn't fall out of my seat love, like I was sort of hoping it would be, like it was with Sterling's previous books, but it was still great.
The world building was fascinating. It felt like a continuation of the world we're introduced to in Isabel's Witches books. I haven't seen her say anywhere definitively whether it's the same world or not, but I certainly head canon it as such, especially with the line about how the different paranormal communities mainly stick to themselves, though the Veil does employ witches for example. The fact that the vampires are the only ones who NEED to maintain ties to humanity, for sustenance, was an interesting point, as was touching on things like Blood Bars and the consent forms/contracts hosts (aka humans) sign to take part in them. I could read a lot more diving into the lore of this world, and how it interacts with other paranormal communities.
Also, this take on vampires was interesting. Being old, I got a lot of hints at Vampire the Masquerade in it, with the different bloodlines (though I couldn't tell you if different bloodlines lead to different abilities, so there's that). I liked how thought out things were on when they feed, how they feed, what happens if they don't for too long and so forth.
The leads were great. Claire and Elise were flawed (some might say damaged) but certainly very likeable. I think I identified more with Claire, oddly enough, even through the sometimes extreme changes in mood from one paragraph to the other. Elise, you felt her pain and her sense of isolation, and above all her confusion. And her bravery as she steps into her role was fantastic.
The supporting cast was great. I wanna go for drinks with Wyn, even though our ideas of refreshment are probably quite different. Maggie was a firecracker, and I wouldn't want to get on the bad side of her. And while I was skeptical at first, Jordan was indeed the sweetest ex-boyfriend, and it's awesome to see bi (or possibly pan, he's not sure yet) male rep!
The mystery aspect of the story was fun, and while not a huge surprise when the revelations come out of who's behind things, it's still handled well.
I do have some qualms, unfortunately. The book was often marketed on being a sapphic vampire story, and don't get me wrong, it is, but while Claire is clearly into Elise nearly from the get go (as much as she tries not to be), Elise still thinks she's straight for the majority of the book, and while she does seem to unconsciously flirt with Claire earlier in the book, it's not until the last 70 pages of the book that she acknowledges to herself that she's bi and has feelings for Claire, and never really communicates it very well to the girl she's falling for, so it felt a little off. The last third to quarter of the book is so fast paced when compared to the rest of the story that trying to also squeeze in Elise's coming out/coming-to-terms with her sexuality in there as well was awkward and I think it would have been easier if she knew she was bi from the start of the story. Don't get me wrong, coming out stories for bi/pan people are super important, just maybe not in the midst of a supernatural mystery.
On a related note, ex-boyfriend Jordan, sweet as he was, spends a lot of the story implying and/or outright saying he wants to get back together with Elise, and seeming actively hurt when she holds onto her decision to break up. Right up until he mentions that there seems to be a thing between Elise and Claire, and then that character trait seems to just disappear. Which isn't to say I expected him to turn into a jealous asshole, but it just seemed like a hard switch from 'I want us to get back together' one day to 'hehe, nice' at walking in on them kissing the next. Maybe that worked more for others...I mean, he kinda was the one who gets Elise to start realizing when her feelings may mean. I dunno, I'm rambling at this point.
The final issue is that, for what's right now being called a stand alone book, the story just kind of...stops. I think I needed maybe 20 more pages to wrap things up, get more of a sense of completion.
So, apart from my minor issues, I thought this was great. A little more work on the relationship side of things, and this probably would have been a perfect queer YA read. 4.5 stars.
The world building was fascinating. It felt like a continuation of the world we're introduced to in Isabel's Witches books. I haven't seen her say anywhere definitively whether it's the same world or not, but I certainly head canon it as such, especially with the line about how the different paranormal communities mainly stick to themselves, though the Veil does employ witches for example. The fact that the vampires are the only ones who NEED to maintain ties to humanity, for sustenance, was an interesting point, as was touching on things like Blood Bars and the consent forms/contracts hosts (aka humans) sign to take part in them. I could read a lot more diving into the lore of this world, and how it interacts with other paranormal communities.
Also, this take on vampires was interesting. Being old, I got a lot of hints at Vampire the Masquerade in it, with the different bloodlines (though I couldn't tell you if different bloodlines lead to different abilities, so there's that). I liked how thought out things were on when they feed, how they feed, what happens if they don't for too long and so forth.
The leads were great. Claire and Elise were flawed (some might say damaged) but certainly very likeable. I think I identified more with Claire, oddly enough, even through the sometimes extreme changes in mood from one paragraph to the other. Elise, you felt her pain and her sense of isolation, and above all her confusion. And her bravery as she steps into her role was fantastic.
The supporting cast was great. I wanna go for drinks with Wyn, even though our ideas of refreshment are probably quite different. Maggie was a firecracker, and I wouldn't want to get on the bad side of her. And while I was skeptical at first, Jordan was indeed the sweetest ex-boyfriend, and it's awesome to see bi (or possibly pan, he's not sure yet) male rep!
The mystery aspect of the story was fun, and while not a huge surprise when the revelations come out of who's behind things, it's still handled well.
I do have some qualms, unfortunately. The book was often marketed on being a sapphic vampire story, and don't get me wrong, it is, but while Claire is clearly into Elise nearly from the get go (as much as she tries not to be), Elise still thinks she's straight for the majority of the book, and while she does seem to unconsciously flirt with Claire earlier in the book, it's not until the last 70 pages of the book that she acknowledges to herself that she's bi and has feelings for Claire, and never really communicates it very well to the girl she's falling for, so it felt a little off. The last third to quarter of the book is so fast paced when compared to the rest of the story that trying to also squeeze in Elise's coming out/coming-to-terms with her sexuality in there as well was awkward and I think it would have been easier if she knew she was bi from the start of the story. Don't get me wrong, coming out stories for bi/pan people are super important, just maybe not in the midst of a supernatural mystery.
On a related note, ex-boyfriend Jordan, sweet as he was, spends a lot of the story implying and/or outright saying he wants to get back together with Elise, and seeming actively hurt when she holds onto her decision to break up. Right up until he mentions that there seems to be a thing between Elise and Claire, and then that character trait seems to just disappear. Which isn't to say I expected him to turn into a jealous asshole, but it just seemed like a hard switch from 'I want us to get back together' one day to 'hehe, nice' at walking in on them kissing the next. Maybe that worked more for others...I mean, he kinda was the one who gets Elise to start realizing when her feelings may mean. I dunno, I'm rambling at this point.
The final issue is that, for what's right now being called a stand alone book, the story just kind of...stops. I think I needed maybe 20 more pages to wrap things up, get more of a sense of completion.
So, apart from my minor issues, I thought this was great. A little more work on the relationship side of things, and this probably would have been a perfect queer YA read. 4.5 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Blood, Death, Grief, Mental illness, Murder, and Physical abuse
Minor: Car accident
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