Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - The Hourglass Throne

a lot of plot revelations, a lot of plot inconsistencies, but through it all the book manages to be genuine and emotional which sometimes is all you need

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micheala's review against another edition

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4.0

This is book 3 of 9 (planned) so we got some threads tied off, but mostly seeing how introduced plot threads will eventually connect in the macro plot.

Quinn and Addam continue to be my favourite characters. I loved the character development we get for the entire found family, and especially between Addam, Rune, and Brand - watching them figure out how to keep the kids safe and happy/thriving was nice.

I would say that despite the long list of CW given by the author, this is the least graphic of the series so far. While traumatic things have been focused on each of the books, the level of discription has shifted so that it was less of a viserally unpleasant reading experience.

There was an event at the end that I'm hoping gets reversed in later books. There was also a very warm and cozy event in the epilogue that helped me feel better despite the other thing.

So far, I'm really liking this series and I'm excited to see where the rest goes.

There is an instance of misgendering - a character has recently changed their pronouns and their aunt uses the old pronoun when discussing them, and has to correct herself.

CW from author: Drugs and alcohol: depictions of narcotic side-effects, underage and non-consenual usage; Trauma and gore: PTSD / panic attacks, depictions of past events, (forced) flashbacks, torture, (suicide) bombings, child violence, blood, body horror, torn limbs, impalement, mind control; Mentions of: SA, animal death, character death, cannibalism, eye gore, COVID-19, suicide

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lorus's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful 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

5.0

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jjjreads's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious sad 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

5.0

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molls's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

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purrson's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious tense fast-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

I love these characters so much that I miss them when a book ends. The representation and inclusiveness means a lot to me. Im

so excited to see more of Rune/Adam’s relationship and hopefully Rune/Adam/Brand’s relationship/s because im absolutely shipping over here! Excited to learn more of the talla bond too, and it’s place in this.

. Give me The Eidolon and Book 4 now, please!!

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lmaurer's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny mysterious fast-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

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catwithspectacles's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

In comparison to the first two books of this series, The Hourglass Throne benefitted from the addition of new characters and suffered from questionable editing. Mundane, everyday events are described with little contribution to the plot, while points of tension vanish when they are summarized instead of truly resolved. I found myself, at multiple points, re-reading to decipher whether I had missed something. In one section, a brilliantly terrifying monster is hunted for half a chapter, only to disappear, its eventual defeat relegated to an off-handed comment. Creative magical ailments are forgotten about. There is simply too much going on, and the result is a crowded and shallow narrative.
Onto more complimentary notes, the author received feedback after his first novel about the lack of female characters. In all fairness, the three main characters are all gay men, and I don't expect every book to cater to every demographic. But Edwards listened, and the results are a variety of three-dimensional female characters that I found myself invested in. The protagonist and his best friend receive significantly more character development than in the last book, and a few key revelations are made that had me gasping aloud in my bedroom in the middle of the night. While the book is clunky, it is redeemed by a skilled, conversational voice and the blooming relationships between a cast of wholly endearing characters. I am looking forward to the fourth book :)

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