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whimsysteph's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
morra's review against another edition
5.0
I don’t usually write reviews for books, and even less often is giving a book five stars, but WOW. Just wow.
I’m not a particularly emotional reader and this book got me so wrapped around it’s finger that I’m going to need to do an immediate reread to etch this book into my brain.
The FMC comes across as autistic-coded to me, which is amazing as an autistic person who so rarely feels represented in media. I felt seen with Addie and seeing my own journey from clinging to a sense of control to letting go and embracing inner power reflected in a character was incredible. [TW: ED] She is portrayed to struggle with an eating disorder and I felt further represented in that hers came from needing to feel in control of her life (rather than obsessing about weight) which is exactly where mine comes from.
The MMC is that perfect balance of possessive without being an annoying, psychotic alpha male type. He’s equal measures savage and gentle. The perfect blend of Cardan from Cruel Prince, Slade from Plated Prisoner, and Wrath from Kingdom of the Wicked.
The secondary cast was phenomenal. Cohesive without being perfect, plenty of flaws and idiosyncrasies that made them unique. One of the characters is Black (Will) and the book doesn’t shy away from recognizing that this time period still had very overt displays of racism that he has to deal with. It makes it clear the author isn’t romanticizing the time period in a way that I’d consider problematic.
The foreshadowing was the perfect balance of creating suspense without giving away the ending. I’m very good at predicting outcomes and a decent portion I didn’t see coming but realized it was obvious looking at the information given. The ending left me wanting more without being a cliffhanger in that much that is introduced at the beginning of the book is wrapped up in an extremely satisfying way by the climax, but then additional problems are introduced to set up the next book.
My only notes of critique have to do with some phrases or word choices being repetitive (“snapping of the bond” being one, or a character’s name being repeated in every sentence at the bottom of page 370 in the paperback version as another) and then some very minor typos that didn’t detract from the reading experience. Some commas should probably have been replaced with colons. These are just nitpicks and didn’t actually stop me from enjoying the book.
Overall, incredible. I can’t stop recommending it to my friends and I can’t wait to buy the hardcover so I can spray the edges and display it on my shelf with my collection. ☺️
I’m not a particularly emotional reader and this book got me so wrapped around it’s finger that I’m going to need to do an immediate reread to etch this book into my brain.
The FMC comes across as autistic-coded to me, which is amazing as an autistic person who so rarely feels represented in media. I felt seen with Addie and seeing my own journey from clinging to a sense of control to letting go and embracing inner power reflected in a character was incredible. [TW: ED] She is portrayed to struggle with an eating disorder and I felt further represented in that hers came from needing to feel in control of her life (rather than obsessing about weight) which is exactly where mine comes from.
The MMC is that perfect balance of possessive without being an annoying, psychotic alpha male type. He’s equal measures savage and gentle. The perfect blend of Cardan from Cruel Prince, Slade from Plated Prisoner, and Wrath from Kingdom of the Wicked.
The secondary cast was phenomenal. Cohesive without being perfect, plenty of flaws and idiosyncrasies that made them unique. One of the characters is Black (Will) and the book doesn’t shy away from recognizing that this time period still had very overt displays of racism that he has to deal with. It makes it clear the author isn’t romanticizing the time period in a way that I’d consider problematic.
The foreshadowing was the perfect balance of creating suspense without giving away the ending. I’m very good at predicting outcomes and a decent portion I didn’t see coming but realized it was obvious looking at the information given. The ending left me wanting more without being a cliffhanger in that much that is introduced at the beginning of the book is wrapped up in an extremely satisfying way by the climax, but then additional problems are introduced to set up the next book.
My only notes of critique have to do with some phrases or word choices being repetitive (“snapping of the bond” being one, or a character’s name being repeated in every sentence at the bottom of page 370 in the paperback version as another) and then some very minor typos that didn’t detract from the reading experience. Some commas should probably have been replaced with colons. These are just nitpicks and didn’t actually stop me from enjoying the book.
Overall, incredible. I can’t stop recommending it to my friends and I can’t wait to buy the hardcover so I can spray the edges and display it on my shelf with my collection. ☺️
annettebooksofhopeanddreams's review against another edition
4.0
As a Dutch person I've never grown up with stories like the Great Gatsby. However, as a lover of the The Vampire Diaries I have been introduced to the roaring 20's and the beauty of the lives of the rich at the time. When I saw this book was gonna combine the world of the fae with the vibe of the 20's I couldn't be more curious. I was therefore very happy that I was offered an arc and could start reading before release. Although I had not anticipated that this book would have the high fantasy length.
This book takes its time to explain things and to introduce us to the world. It takes a while before we know for sure that all the creatures our heroine meets in the woods behind her house really exist. It takes even longer before we understand a little what has been happening leading towards those meetings. And it's only at the very end, in the very last chapters, that we actually get the answers and all the pieces of the puzzle click into place.
It's that ending making everything worth while. The first half of the book is not only slow, but also sometimes hard to get through. There are a lot of characters introduced in a short amount of time and it takes a while to tell them all apart. We're hearing a lot of titles and stories and it's not always easy to follow what they're about. But the more stories we hear and the more often we meet people the more familiar everything starts to feel.
I also really loved the heroine's journey. It makes sense, especially at the time, that our heroine wasn't used to take charge and make her own choices. During the story, partly because she's called out a few times for being passive and boring, she's discovering that she does have the power to change things and to fight, both literally and figurative. And after this character growth and all the reveals I can't wait to see her star in the sequel!
This book takes its time to explain things and to introduce us to the world. It takes a while before we know for sure that all the creatures our heroine meets in the woods behind her house really exist. It takes even longer before we understand a little what has been happening leading towards those meetings. And it's only at the very end, in the very last chapters, that we actually get the answers and all the pieces of the puzzle click into place.
It's that ending making everything worth while. The first half of the book is not only slow, but also sometimes hard to get through. There are a lot of characters introduced in a short amount of time and it takes a while to tell them all apart. We're hearing a lot of titles and stories and it's not always easy to follow what they're about. But the more stories we hear and the more often we meet people the more familiar everything starts to feel.
I also really loved the heroine's journey. It makes sense, especially at the time, that our heroine wasn't used to take charge and make her own choices. During the story, partly because she's called out a few times for being passive and boring, she's discovering that she does have the power to change things and to fight, both literally and figurative. And after this character growth and all the reveals I can't wait to see her star in the sequel!
lems135's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- 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
4.5
haiput's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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? No
5.0
hailstorm4's review
adventurous
dark
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
wuxian31's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0