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adventurous
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Gore, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment
Minor: Child death, Infidelity, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Medical content, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, War
adventurous
medium-paced
The romance aspect of this book was really good, I loved how Hawke cared for Poppy in a situation no one tried to stand-up for her. The romantic dialogue and sexual tension was also good.
However, I did not like Poppy as a narrator. Her inner monologues were extensive and repetitive.
The plot twists were okay, you could see them coming but they weren't terrible.
It was more violent than I expected when it was recommended by a friend who only talked about the romance, so be aware of the trigger warnings.
However, I did not like Poppy as a narrator. Her inner monologues were extensive and repetitive.
The plot twists were okay, you could see them coming but they weren't terrible.
It was more violent than I expected when it was recommended by a friend who only talked about the romance, so be aware of the trigger warnings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence
Moderate: Death of parent, Sexual harassment
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The writing can be confusing, but it’s really good fun.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Blood, Death of parent
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Blood, Murder
Moderate: Grief, Death of parent
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Fear and bravery are often one and the same. It either makes you a warrior or a coward. The only difference is the person it resides inside.
This book has problems - serious problems. I am not entirely sure how the questionable relationship at the heart of this book could have been given the Best Romance award for 2020, just as I am also not entirely sure why I read it, but here we are: people love this book and I've read it, just barely.
I cannot say that this book is bad in the slightest; it was entertaining, the world it was set in was complex and interesting, Poppy was a very likeable character, and (once we got through half of the book) we got a lot of action - plot-wise and otherwise. However, this is where my issues stem from. This romance was cringy at best and abusive and manipulative at worst. I really started to hate Poppy when her emotions oscillated between love and hate, loyalty and betrayal. After being so blatantly lied to and used, I would not put up with any boy, no matter how pretty his eyes were and how nice he smelled. I'm sorry if that isn't romantic.
I am also so over the abused yet strong main character in YA / New Adult fantasy novels. Having as much power and spirit as Poppy did would be near impossible in the abusive environment she was in and, if she truly was as powerful as the novel suggests, surely she would have stood up for herself sooner. In addition to that, who can forget about the whole pure Maiden side plot (yes, side plot because - let's be honest - the smut is the main plot)? I am not a fan; constant discussions of "naughty" acts, being "inappropriate" and just sexual relationships, in general, do not a fantasy novel make, though they certainly make the word count.
Now, I know that my mediocre experience is an anomaly here. If a dark, dystopian fantasy with a huge emphasis on romance, death and all your typical tropes (vampires, werewolves, a mysterious dark prince from another land, etc.) sounds like a good time for you, this book is worth a shot. Armentrout's writing is very readable due to its almost stream-of-consciousness quality with a sprinkling of very quotable lines throughout is nothing to complain about. I may give her other series a shot for this reason; I just hope there will be no mention of "honeydew", that was a choice.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder
Moderate: Sexism, Kidnapping, Grief
Minor: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship
adventurous
funny
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:
No
I was putting this book off for a good minute. One of my friends recommended it to me after I read/listened to ACOTAR and Crescent City. First things first: I am NOT a fantasy girl. I do however love to read what’s popular. I love to read things other people read so I can have discussions etc. This book was phenomenal. Some things I struggled with in books like ACOTAR and CC is trying to keep the lore and story straight. There is so much world building, so many characters introduced as well as lore and culture building, and if not done well, it can lead to confusion. Throughout ACOTAR, I found myself grasping the main storyline but side parts about side characters would get lost in the midst. I’d forget who or what certain things are, but with FBAA, I was able to understand and grasp most of it! I loved that. Also great representation with Poppy. She is not a skinny blonde girl with a perfect body. She has scars. Stretch marks. She is not perfect, and I LOVE that in a FMC. And the ending with the plot twist is *CHEFS KISS*. The very last line?? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Great. Five stars. I can’t wait to start the next one. Not to mention supporting a fellow West Virginian? Love it all.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death of parent
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence
Moderate: Child death, Death of parent
Minor: Sexual violence
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I am not quite sure why this book took me so long to read. I kept picking it up and putting it back down. I started with the audiobook and did not like the initial one I was listening to and decided to just go buy the book and read it and it flew by. I am not the biggest fan of the character name choices, but I still enjoyed the journey. I don't normally read vampire books, but I definitely enjoyed this one.
Now, I know Poppy is supposed to be this innocent, naïve maiden, but she was frustrating me so much. I could not believe how long it took her to figure some stuff out when I had an idea for a good bit of the novel and every hint just kept confirming it for me. Like Hawke being the "Dark One", there were so many slip-ups that she should have seen, but didn't. One of them being the Duke being staked by the cane that he hit her with on multiple occasions and Hawke had legit just heard about it from the Priestess' slip-up and he just so happens to have been gone while the Duke was MIA. Also, Hawke had admitted to Poppy that he had killed the Duke like WTF. Then when Delano said, "If the Prince wanted you dead, you'd already be dead. You should eat." Hawke had just said that no one is to lay a finger on her and she doesn't put 2 and 2 together. My final straw was how he had mentioned rescuing the Prince's brother and he just so happens to also have a missing brother that he has said he would do anything to see again.. GIRL WAKE UP!
Overall, I did enjoy the story and will keep on reading the series to see what happens, especially since Cas just casually throws out the whole marriage proposal situation at the end of the book.
Overall, I did enjoy the story and will keep on reading the series to see what happens, especially since Cas just casually throws out the whole marriage proposal situation at the end of the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Sexual harassment
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Pregnancy
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The plot started off slow then hooked me enough to keep me going, I was liking Poppy’s character so stayed invested, however the quality of the dialogue writing seemed to go from being believable and interesting to completely stilted and repetitive. I saw the twists coming from a mile off - which I don’t mind, to be honest - but the way Hawke’s character changed became so creepy and unsupportable that I couldn’t even be conflicted in shipping them at the end, all I could feel was discomfort and weirded out, for lack of a better phrase. It may be that this is something tackled in the next book as with ACOTAR, but I don’t think I’m invested enough to put the time in. The world building is strong and the driving societal conflicts are layered and clever, so between those and Poppy’s character, I’ve given this 3* ☺️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail