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disnelyse's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
I liked the story, but felt that it was lacking... that it could have been expanded upon and that there could have been more.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore and Child death
Minor: Bullying, Gun violence, and Confinement
bookish_burrow's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I received an eARC courtesy of Disney-Hyperion via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This books premise is fascinating, it was much darker story than I thought it would be. I was sucked in within the first three chapters and I actually quite enjoyed the world building in this story. I felt it really helped me visualize the world in which this took place. I think the one big pickle I had with the world building however is that this is very much immersed in a world we recognize. I feel like there are a lot of gaps due to this because it supposedly takes place in the United States, characters talk about other places such as California. From what I gathered, this was the only place where magic had existed. I think I would have liked some more info on that in this first book related to how magic worked within the space of the rest of the world and The Scar.
That being said, I did enjoy this story! This is a YA novel which is on par for some of the darker elements in the story, I was surprised by some of the gory descriptions but I didn’t feel like it took away from the story. Due to the storyline, it does make sense especially in the field in which our main character currently interns in. This being said, sometimes the dialogue read more like a middle grade book than a YA one.
I truly enjoyed trying to figure out what villains certain characters would become prior to their reveals! However, I am curious to see what Mary Elizabeth ends up being revealed as though I have my theory!
There were some sentences that felt awkwardly written that unfortunately brought me out of that reading trance. Which is why, at times, it felt a little more juvenile in its writing. This being said, it only happened a few times and for the majority of the story I was completely hooked! I think despite my small gripes with the story, I felt like it was a good introduction to the series and the author did a wonderful job at giving the reader reasons to care about the characters. I truly was absorbed into the development of the story and the characters as it unfolded. I’m excited to read the second installment of this series when it debuts to see how the story continues to unravel!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore
Minor: Suicide
little_rainbow's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore, Murder, and Xenophobia
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