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A review by leonidskies
A Crimson Covenant by Aimee Donnellan
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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? It's complicated
4.5
I received an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for my review.
This is a book I took a little while to warm up to, but GOSH once it warmed up it was so good. The character complexity here - especially the reality of the way relationships developed - was so, so good. This is some of the best character work I've read all year, and a really good piece of dual-perspective writing.
I also loved the way queernormativity and mental health were presented in a fantasy world - I really liked the way the use/lack of use of specific terminology was handled alongside making it clear what individual characters were struggling with. I was not a huge fan of the way a nonbinary character was near-immediately killed off, but if you're okay with that then the rest of this novel is well worth your time.
It also worked wonderfully as the start of a series - the setup didn't detract from the narrative, but in the back third of the novel the world of the setting really expanded into something I'd be happy to read more of.
The only reason this isn't 5* for me is the comparatively weaker opening and occasionally clumsy writing/editing mistakes (the worst of which is the misgendering of a nonbinary character in the narration), the latter of which might not be reflected in the book when it's released. Otherwise, a really wonderful book and well worth picking up if you want to read a sapphic romantasy with a queernormative world and compelling character arcs.
This is a book I took a little while to warm up to, but GOSH once it warmed up it was so good. The character complexity here - especially the reality of the way relationships developed - was so, so good. This is some of the best character work I've read all year, and a really good piece of dual-perspective writing.
I also loved the way queernormativity and mental health were presented in a fantasy world - I really liked the way the use/lack of use of specific terminology was handled alongside making it clear what individual characters were struggling with. I was not a huge fan of the way a nonbinary character was near-immediately killed off, but if you're okay with that then the rest of this novel is well worth your time.
It also worked wonderfully as the start of a series - the setup didn't detract from the narrative, but in the back third of the novel the world of the setting really expanded into something I'd be happy to read more of.
The only reason this isn't 5* for me is the comparatively weaker opening and occasionally clumsy writing/editing mistakes (the worst of which is the misgendering of a nonbinary character in the narration), the latter of which might not be reflected in the book when it's released. Otherwise, a really wonderful book and well worth picking up if you want to read a sapphic romantasy with a queernormative world and compelling character arcs.