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daydreaminlilac's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
I thought I’d love this more than I did. There was so much great potential, and a lot of good ideas for a fantasy world. The magic system and different magical creatures were interesting. I wanted to know more about it.
The book suffered from pacing issues; some parts were plodding along, while the end was so rushed. There were too many big plot points that weren’t really fleshed out enough or connected to the story as a whole.
The romance pseudo-love triangle was weird. It didn’t really seem well developed. The one spice scene was weirdly placed. The plot twist was ok.
I really liked Lore, and because there were so many different fantasy ideas (magic library, orphan apothecary shop, grimoire) jammed into one book, I lost track of her history a little.
I also did not like the cliffhanger ending.
The book suffered from pacing issues; some parts were plodding along, while the end was so rushed. There were too many big plot points that weren’t really fleshed out enough or connected to the story as a whole.
The romance pseudo-love triangle was weird. It didn’t really seem well developed. The one spice scene was weirdly placed. The plot twist was ok.
I really liked Lore, and because there were so many different fantasy ideas (magic library, orphan apothecary shop, grimoire) jammed into one book, I lost track of her history a little.
I also did not like the cliffhanger ending.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Rape
kaiteayu's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
The pacing reminded me of a fever dream I had once.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Blood, and Cursing
Minor: Rape
iamsammie27's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Violence, and Kidnapping
Minor: Rape and War
jaduhluhdabooks's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual content and Rape
ivywwx's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Xenophobia, Racism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, and Slavery
Minor: Rape
solitarelee's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This book had its ups and downs for me, but overall I enjoyed it, and some of the twists really had me speed reading to see what happened next. The pace of the book is breakneck, with barely any time to breathe between the next dramatic reveal or questionable decision by the risk-taking main character. There are no answers here, only questions; I could tell halfway through that I was definitely reading the first book of a series. The faeries are really faeries in name only; you could call them elves and change literally 0 things. But tied into that is the fact that the worldbuilding is pretty creative and original.
The author uses "male" and "female" as nouns to describe fae, I think as a purposeful choice to indicate that they're not human to the main character (ie not just saying 'man' or 'woman'), however I found it to be a torment throughout the entire book even after I realized why they were doing it. Especially every time they used 'fae' (which can be a noun) as an adjective to describe 'male' (generally an adjective). Oh, the pain, every time. Male fae was right there. You could have spared me and it still would have included the desired dehumanization.
The first love interest fell completely flat for me, and I kept wondering when this dull perfect boy whose motivations made no sense would do a dramatic betrayal. That being said, I did not predict the exact nature of the dramatic betrayal AT ALL and was delighted. I kind of want to re-read the whole thing with the big spoiler in mind later. The chemistry with the 'secondary' love interest is sparking and way more believable. (This isn't a critique, the author clearly did this on purpose so readers might catch on like I did.)
Overall I'll be reading the next book for sure. I got too many questions not to!
The author uses "male" and "female" as nouns to describe fae, I think as a purposeful choice to indicate that they're not human to the main character (ie not just saying 'man' or 'woman'), however I found it to be a torment throughout the entire book even after I realized why they were doing it. Especially every time they used 'fae' (which can be a noun) as an adjective to describe 'male' (generally an adjective). Oh, the pain, every time. Male fae was right there. You could have spared me and it still would have included the desired dehumanization.
Overall I'll be reading the next book for sure. I got too many questions not to!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Alcohol, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Rape and Torture
Minor: Death and Death of parent
chipotlemayo's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
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? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Kidnapping, Blood, Death, and Sexual content
Minor: Sexual violence, Pregnancy, and Rape
linnybear's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
I’d call it ‘mediocre middle grade book with fairy spice’
She should've stayed in the library
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Blood, Kidnapping, Violence, and Classism
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Alcohol
Minor: Pregnancy, Rape, and Death of parent
bookcaptivated's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
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? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexual content, Kidnapping, Blood, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Grief, Confinement, and Classism
Minor: Pregnancy, Death of parent, and Rape
abby_can_read's review against another edition
adventurous
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? No
4.0
📱
I had a wonderful time with this book. I loved the sentinel library. I thought the characters were good and I liked the friendships. Personally, I'm waiting for the romances to develop more. While I enjoyed the plot, I did find it predictable and I did see the twist at the end.
I struggled some with the worldbuilding regarding the magic system. I'm hoping that is something explained in the sequel. I also found the pacing to be difficult. There were some parts that were long and other parts that I wanted to read so it that were completely skipped over.
I had a wonderful time with this book. I loved the sentinel library. I thought the characters were good and I liked the friendships. Personally, I'm waiting for the romances to develop more. While I enjoyed the plot, I did find it predictable and I did see the twist at the end.
I struggled some with the worldbuilding regarding the magic system. I'm hoping that is something explained in the sequel. I also found the pacing to be difficult. There were some parts that were long and other parts that I wanted to read so it that were completely skipped over.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Death
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Sexual content
Minor: Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Death of parent, and Rape