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adventurous
dark
funny
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
reread review:
Currently rereading the series since I first read it a year ago in preparation for book 4 coming out so soon (March 15th).
Admittedly, this one is a bit hard as a reread because of the pacing and info-dumping, but I love every scene with Hawke. There also is much more foreshadowing than I even realized for... later things *insert smirk discord emoji*
Hawke still does it for me, I love his & Poppy's quippy banter.
Wish I could read it for the first time again forthe twists
original review:
immediately HOOKED. I went into this book fairly blind and I highly recommend the same for other FTR. Fierce and sassy lead character, intriguing romance, great world-building. I do feel the plot doesn't quite pick up til further in for me, but I was very much immersed in the book regardless.I did not see not just the one, but the TWO twists. This book actually had me laughing and screaming out loud. And the spice scenes *chef's kiss*.
Currently rereading the series since I first read it a year ago in preparation for book 4 coming out so soon (March 15th).
Admittedly, this one is a bit hard as a reread because of the pacing and info-dumping, but I love every scene with Hawke. There also is much more foreshadowing than I even realized for... later things *insert smirk discord emoji*
Hawke still does it for me, I love his & Poppy's quippy banter.
Wish I could read it for the first time again for
original review:
immediately HOOKED. I went into this book fairly blind and I highly recommend the same for other FTR. Fierce and sassy lead character, intriguing romance, great world-building. I do feel the plot doesn't quite pick up til further in for me, but I was very much immersed in the book regardless.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Death of parent
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
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:
Complicated
This was so good! Amazing world, amazing story, the plot and the lore!
Poppy and Hawke!!! <3<3<3
This high fantasy take on vampires?? *chef's kiss* we need more of these, just sayin'.
And what an ending omggg
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood
Moderate: Physical abuse, Violence, Blood
Minor: Emotional abuse, Death of parent
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Okay, this book has a lot of hype and I think my expectations were just too high for what it is. It was easily readable and I flew through it and immediately wanted to read the sequel. The characters were okay--I liked a lot of the side characters. I didn't think Poppy had much development; she's basically the same person at the end as she is at the beginning she just has more freedom . And Hawke...the ultimate bad boy? Idk. I both hate and like him much like Poppy? and honestly just don't know what to make of him. The romance was a bit too much for me, but that is definitely my fault because I didn’t realize this is fantasy romance, which is a little different than just fantasy.
The plot kinda bounces around in pace, picking up just when you're about to get bored. The world itself was interesting, though a lot of things are left unexplained. I had trouble deciding how to rate this one--it did entertain me but will it stick with me in the long run? Nope, I highly doubt it. Have I already read the sequel? Yes, because I have no control when it comes to cliffhanger endings! Am I wishing I had just waited for my library hold to come in instead of buying the ebooks? Yep...
Read if you like: Twilight, paranormal romance, morally gray (arguably immoral) characters.
The plot kinda bounces around in pace, picking up just when you're about to get bored. The world itself was interesting, though a lot of things are left unexplained. I had trouble deciding how to rate this one--it did entertain me but will it stick with me in the long run? Nope, I highly doubt it. Have I already read the sequel? Yes, because I have no control when it comes to cliffhanger endings! Am I wishing I had just waited for my library hold to come in instead of buying the ebooks? Yep...
Read if you like: Twilight, paranormal romance, morally gray (arguably immoral) characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Grief, Death of parent
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder
Moderate: Child death, Misogyny, Death of parent
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Infidelity
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, Blood
Moderate: Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Torture, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder
slow-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Idek it just wasn't my cup of tea. Meandering plot that never really comes to a conclusion, hyper focus on the mc's virginity as a plot point, super cringy romance that tries to be lovers to enemies and back but just feels abusive.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death, Death of parent
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
My overall feelings are positive. It was easy to get swept up in the world and the characters.
The first 200 pages ish were a bit slow. The e-book I read (on my phone, because I don't have an e-reader) was just over 1000 pages, so the beginning was a bit too slow. The book is very wordy and it didn't need to be. Maybe 100 pages could have been trimmed to condense the story a little.
There's also a lot of repetition, and it's the wrong kind of repetition for me. For example, there are a lot of emphasis on the craven and how that all works. We get it by the second time but over and over again we're given these details that we know by now.
I also wasn't sure if this was supposed to be a little bit satire. There's very little depth to the world building. It doesn't take me out of the story, but it did sometimes jar me in how simplistic it all is. From the names to the general layout of the world. I don't know if I like it because it allowed me to care more about the characters and their drama, or if I disliked it because I like me some world building in my fantasy.
Then the twist. Or twists, I should say.
They were very predictable.
Not enough for me to be taken out of the world, but enough for me to feel like it/they should have been revealed earlier.
I'm going to go into spoilers below, so if you stop reading here I would say that I recommend this if you want a light world-building high fantasy with heavy romance. It was a fun time all around.
That Hawke was "bad" was very predictable. I don't begrudge Poppy for not seeing that, though, because I probably wouldn't have either. But it was grating how long it took her to realise he was the dark one. Like, it was very obvious to me from the beginning and even after he'd betrayed her she just took so long to connect the dots. That took me out of the story a bit.
The first 200 pages ish were a bit slow. The e-book I read (on my phone, because I don't have an e-reader) was just over 1000 pages, so the beginning was a bit too slow. The book is very wordy and it didn't need to be. Maybe 100 pages could have been trimmed to condense the story a little.
There's also a lot of repetition, and it's the wrong kind of repetition for me. For example, there are a lot of emphasis on the craven and how that all works. We get it by the second time but over and over again we're given these details that we know by now.
I also wasn't sure if this was supposed to be a little bit satire. There's very little depth to the world building. It doesn't take me out of the story, but it did sometimes jar me in how simplistic it all is. From the names to the general layout of the world. I don't know if I like it because it allowed me to care more about the characters and their drama, or if I disliked it because I like me some world building in my fantasy.
Then the twist. Or twists, I should say.
They were very predictable.
Not enough for me to be taken out of the world, but enough for me to feel like it/they should have been revealed earlier.
I'm going to go into spoilers below, so if you stop reading here I would say that I recommend this if you want a light world-building high fantasy with heavy romance. It was a fun time all around.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood
Moderate: Physical abuse
Minor: Death of parent