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2607 reviews
From the Editorial Page of the Falchester Weekly Review by Marie Brennan
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
No strong representation of diverse characters or minority identities.
Mature Themes:
• No swearing
• No abuse
• No OTT sad parts
Possible Triggers: Yes
• Misogyny
Ending:Satisfyingly funny! Makes me eager to continue the series and see what else Lady Trent gets up to.
Mature Themes:
• No swearing
• No abuse
• No OTT sad parts
Possible Triggers: Yes
• Misogyny
Ending:
The Invisible Husband of Frick Island by Colleen Oakley
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Representation: Biracial Heroine, Gay side character, Indian-American side character
Mature Themes:
• Sex (non-descriptive)
Possible Triggers: Yes
• Grief
• Heroine's husband goes missing and is presumed dead at the start of the book
- It's alluded that the husband was suffering from depression and that he might've committed suicide
• Arson
• Medical trauma (Hero's step-father has a heart attack)
• Parental abandonment (Hero was neglected and has a toxic relationship with his birth father)
Ending:HFN
Mature Themes:
• Sex (non-descriptive)
Possible Triggers: Yes
• Grief
• Heroine's husband goes missing and is presumed dead at the start of the book
- It's alluded that the husband was suffering from depression and that he might've committed suicide
• Arson
• Medical trauma (Hero's step-father has a heart attack)
• Parental abandonment (Hero was neglected and has a toxic relationship with his birth father)
Ending:
A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
No strong representation of diverse characters or minority identities.
Safety Rating: Safe with Exceptions
• No cheating
• No OM drama
- But the Heroine's ex-fiancé and his new wife come to the Heroine's work in the final act for the sole purpose of the author being able to show that the Heroine is over him. There's no drama, but it's awkward and felt contrived.
• Does kinda have OW drama
- Major spoiler pertaining to why the Hero is also stuck in the fictional world:He's the fiancé of the author who died years ago. In his grief, he sought refuge from the real world in the fictional town his fiancée created. He's not yet processed his grief, which leads him to push the Heroine away.
There's "kinda" OW drama because the fictional character (who is the protagonist of one of the author's romance books) who most resembles the author comes back to the fictional town <i>just</i> as the Heroine and Hero are set to leave (and ride off into the sunset together). The Hero sees this fictional character/OW and realizes he can't leave - he needs to talk to this OW, who so reminds him of his deceased fiancée.
In terms of plot and character development, I get why there had to be a third-act break-up, but there didn't need to be a last-minute introduction of a pseudo-OW. It made the resulting resolution seem cheap and rushed (i.e. I didn't believe the Hero's love declarations at all). Also, he threw the Heroine - a REAL LIVING PERSON - aside for a FICTIONAL CHARACTER - who was inspired by but is by no means actually his deceased fiancée.
• Does have the Hero pushing the Heroine away
• Does have a few months separation (both celibate)
Possible Triggers: Yes
• Death of spouse
• Grief
• Infidelity (Heroine was cheated on by her ex-fiancé)
Ending:HFN
Safety Rating: Safe with Exceptions
• No cheating
• No OM drama
- But the Heroine's ex-fiancé and his new wife come to the Heroine's work in the final act for the sole purpose of the author being able to show that the Heroine is over him. There's no drama, but it's awkward and felt contrived.
• Does kinda have OW drama
- Major spoiler pertaining to why the Hero is also stuck in the fictional world:
There's "kinda" OW drama because the fictional character (who is the protagonist of one of the author's romance books) who most resembles the author comes back to the fictional town <i>just</i> as the Heroine and Hero are set to leave (and ride off into the sunset together). The Hero sees this fictional character/OW and realizes he can't leave - he needs to talk to this OW, who so reminds him of his deceased fiancée.
In terms of plot and character development, I get why there had to be a third-act break-up, but there didn't need to be a last-minute introduction of a pseudo-OW. It made the resulting resolution seem cheap and rushed (i.e. I didn't believe the Hero's love declarations at all). Also, he threw the Heroine - a REAL LIVING PERSON - aside for a FICTIONAL CHARACTER - who was inspired by but is by no means actually his deceased fiancée.
• Does have the Hero pushing the Heroine away
• Does have a few months separation (both celibate)
Possible Triggers: Yes
• Death of spouse
• Grief
• Infidelity (Heroine was cheated on by her ex-fiancé)
Ending:
Keeping Secrets by Ella Goode
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
No strong representation of diverse characters or minority identities.
Safety Rating: Safe
• No cheating
• Does have OW drama
- OW wants to be with the Hero, but he makes it obvious he's not interested.
• No OM drama
• Does have the Heroine pushing the Hero away
• No separation
Possible Triggers: Yes
• Dual virgins
• The Heroine's mom's boyfriend sexually harasses the Heroine
• Complicated father-son dynamics between the Hero and his birth father
Ending:HEA
Safety Rating: Safe
• No cheating
• Does have OW drama
- OW wants to be with the Hero, but he makes it obvious he's not interested.
• No OM drama
• Does have the Heroine pushing the Hero away
• No separation
Possible Triggers: Yes
• Dual virgins
• The Heroine's mom's boyfriend sexually harasses the Heroine
• Complicated father-son dynamics between the Hero and his birth father
Ending:
Voyage of the Basilisk by Marie Brennan
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Representation: POC supporting character, Trans POC supporting character, POC side characters
Mature Themes:
• Minimal cursing
• No sexual content
Possible Triggers: Yes
• Animal death
• Sexism
• Kidnapping of side character
• Racism
• Violence
• Death of a supporting character's father
Ending:HFN.
Mature Themes:
• Minimal cursing
• No sexual content
Possible Triggers: Yes
• Animal death
• Sexism
• Kidnapping of side character
• Racism
• Violence
• Death of a supporting character's father
Ending:
I Married A Mothman by Regine Abel
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
Representation: Black main character
Safety Rating: Safe
• No cheating
• No OW/OM drama
• No pushing away
• No separation
Possible Triggers: Yes
• Genocide (two castes are sacrificed every 30ish years)
• Kidnapping
• Classism
• Virgin Hero
Ending:HEA
Safety Rating: Safe
• No cheating
• No OW/OM drama
• No pushing away
• No separation
Possible Triggers: Yes
• Genocide (two castes are sacrificed every 30ish years)
• Kidnapping
• Classism
• Virgin Hero
Ending:
Of Wind and Terror by Katie May
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Representation: Heroine is unable to speak, uses sign-language to communicate and is partially deaf in one ear, One of the Heroes is coded as autistic, Blind Hero, wlw supporting character
Safety Rating: Safe with Exceptions
• No cheating
• No OM/OW drama
• Does have the Heroine pushing the men away
• No separation
Possible Triggers: Yes
• Suicide attempt
• Thoughts of self-harm
• Murder
• Gore
• Sword violence
• War themes
• Imprisonment
• Death of a child from attack
Ending:Cliffhanger
Safety Rating: Safe with Exceptions
• No cheating
• No OM/OW drama
• Does have the Heroine pushing the men away
• No separation
Possible Triggers: Yes
• Suicide attempt
• Thoughts of self-harm
• Murder
• Gore
• Sword violence
• War themes
• Imprisonment
• Death of a child from attack
Ending:
Of Heat and Obsession by Katie May
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Representation: Heroine is unable to speak, uses sign-language to communicate and is partially deaf in one ear, One of the Heroes is coded as autistic, Blind Hero, wlw supporting character
Safety Rating: Safe with Exceptions
• No cheating
• No OM/OW drama
• Does have the Heroine pushing the men away
• No separation
Possible Triggers: Yes
• Murder
• Kidnapping
• Sexual assault
• Gore
• Dismemberment
• Torture
Ending:Cliffhanger
Safety Rating: Safe with Exceptions
• No cheating
• No OM/OW drama
• Does have the Heroine pushing the men away
• No separation
Possible Triggers: Yes
• Murder
• Kidnapping
• Sexual assault
• Gore
• Dismemberment
• Torture
Ending:
The Hunger of the Gods by John Gwynne
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Representation: wlw side character, POC side characters
Mature Themes:
• Sex alluded to and discussed (not graphic)
• Swearing
• Alcohol consumption
Possible Triggers: Yes
• Knife, sword and axe violence
• Gore
• Murder
• Attempted murder
• Enslavement
• Discussion of genocide
• Mutilation of a side character in the last book discussed
• Sexism
• Abduction of children
• Child abuse
• Torture
Ending:Cliffhanger!!!
Mature Themes:
• Sex alluded to and discussed (not graphic)
• Swearing
• Alcohol consumption
Possible Triggers: Yes
• Knife, sword and axe violence
• Gore
• Murder
• Attempted murder
• Enslavement
• Discussion of genocide
• Mutilation of a side character in the last book discussed
• Sexism
• Abduction of children
• Child abuse
• Torture
Ending:
Quicksilver by Callie Hart
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Representation: Bisexual supporting character
Safety Rating: Safe with Exceptions
• No cheating
• Does have OM drama
- Heroine's ex (they only had a ONS but it's implied both would've been down for more if the circumstances of the lives weren't what they were) is also brought into the fae world. The Hero acts VERY jealous any time the Heroine and OM hang out. But there are no romantic feelings between the Heroine and OM after the Heroine meets the Hero.
• No OW drama
• Does have the Hero pushing the Heroine away
• No separation
Possible Triggers: Yes
• Age gap (the kind you only see in a romantasy ... as in 1,000+ years)
• War themes
• Sword violence
• Genocide
• Classism
• Heroine recounts the extreme poverty experienced in her childhood and homelessness
• Forced sterilization of the Heroine when she was a pre-teen
• Murder of parents
• Heroine recounts how her mother resorted to sex work to support her children
• Torture
• Suicidal ideation
• Attempted sexual assault
• R@pe of Hero's mother briefly discussed (not detailed)
Ending:HFN. The couple has accepted their fated mate bond, but there is a cliffhanger regarding the plot.
Safety Rating: Safe with Exceptions
• No cheating
• Does have OM drama
- Heroine's ex (they only had a ONS but it's implied both would've been down for more if the circumstances of the lives weren't what they were) is also brought into the fae world. The Hero acts VERY jealous any time the Heroine and OM hang out. But there are no romantic feelings between the Heroine and OM after the Heroine meets the Hero.
• No OW drama
• Does have the Hero pushing the Heroine away
• No separation
Possible Triggers: Yes
• Age gap (the kind you only see in a romantasy ... as in 1,000+ years)
• War themes
• Sword violence
• Genocide
• Classism
• Heroine recounts the extreme poverty experienced in her childhood and homelessness
• Forced sterilization of the Heroine when she was a pre-teen
• Murder of parents
• Heroine recounts how her mother resorted to sex work to support her children
• Torture
• Suicidal ideation
• Attempted sexual assault
• R@pe of Hero's mother briefly discussed (not detailed)
Ending: