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rainstormdragon's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, Sexual assault, and Classism
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, War, and Genocide
shieldbearer's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- 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
4.0
A very strong read, although I preferred Spinning Silver. My primary complaint is the romance between Sarkan and Agneskia - I simply could not see the romantic chemistr. It felt forced to me, and I think the narrative would have been better served without it.
I also can't say I liked the reveal about the origin of the Wood Queen and the reason the wood is attacking. I think the Staryk were handled with more nuance in Spinning Silver.
However, I would still strongly recommend this novel.
I also can't say I liked the reveal about the origin of the Wood Queen and the reason the wood is attacking. I think the Staryk were handled with more nuance in Spinning Silver.
However, I would still strongly recommend this novel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Classism, Sexual content, Violence, Xenophobia, Sexual harassment, Murder, Medical content, Death, Confinement, Blood, Body horror, and Animal death
Moderate: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, and Vomit
kindra_demi's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Full transparency to this review: I had absolutely no interest in reading this book. This was the book my book club chose to read for March. Going into the book, I was just thinking “I am here for the ride”. And for this reason, I am incredibly surprised at how much I ended up liking this book! There were points in this book I was sad I had to put it down because life needed attention instead.
As with any fantasy book, the beginning was full of world building, but it wasn’t so much so that it made it difficult to understand. The parts that were left vague were intentional to be answered later on. I will say that the writing style at times was a bit confusing. There were times where something would be posed as a thought, only to be answered by another person verbally (though no mind reading was ever mention). In the same vein, I also found I did have to reread some passage a couple times to understand what was fully going on. This is especially true in the second half of the book that was action packed. While for the most part, the writing that was intentionally left vague were eventually answered, there are some moments where I wish we got an answer as to why something might have happened.
Hands down my favorite part of the book is the magic system. The magic system was one of the most interesting magic systems that I’ve read! (Light spoilers for the types of magic seen) I loved how it Agnieszka's magic was supposed to feel warm, and almost folk-like, where it was doing with what you have around you. Whereas you have the Dragon, who was trained in the capital city in a very rigid structure, and as a result has a magic style similar to that.
For it’s faults, this is definitely a book I would recommend to any fantasy lover, but as always, check the content warnings and see if it’s something for you!!
As with any fantasy book, the beginning was full of world building, but it wasn’t so much so that it made it difficult to understand. The parts that were left vague were intentional to be answered later on. I will say that the writing style at times was a bit confusing. There were times where something would be posed as a thought, only to be answered by another person verbally (though no mind reading was ever mention). In the same vein, I also found I did have to reread some passage a couple times to understand what was fully going on. This is especially true in the second half of the book that was action packed. While for the most part, the writing that was intentionally left vague were eventually answered, there are some moments where I wish we got an answer as to why something might have happened.
Hands down my favorite part of the book is the magic system. The magic system was one of the most interesting magic systems that I’ve read! (Light spoilers for the types of magic seen)
For it’s faults, this is definitely a book I would recommend to any fantasy lover, but as always, check the content warnings and see if it’s something for you!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, War, Death, Confinement, Gore, Grief, and Sexual content
Moderate: Classism, Fire/Fire injury, and Animal death
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