Take a photo of a barcode or cover
gretchenplz's Reviews (542)
I do NOT get the hype surrounding this book.
The first 200 pages were bad. The next 100 pages were better. The last 50 were epic.
I hate this new YA/NA romantasy formula — uber slow burn (both romance and plot), with a killer climax, and a cliffhanger to drive up the memorability.
What little dialogue there was was awkward. The reveal about the breakup/parting was drug out for so long that by the time it happened, I didn’t care.
Am I now going to read Book 2? Yes. Am I happy about it? Absolutely not.
The first 200 pages were bad. The next 100 pages were better. The last 50 were epic.
I hate this new YA/NA romantasy formula — uber slow burn (both romance and plot), with a killer climax, and a cliffhanger to drive up the memorability.
What little dialogue there was was awkward. The reveal about the breakup/parting was drug out for so long that by the time it happened, I didn’t care.
Am I now going to read Book 2? Yes. Am I happy about it? Absolutely not.
This book simultaneously condemned me to hell and made me, a non-practicing Catholic, want to go back to church.
This book is pure smut with a sprinkling of plot and it was great.
Could have done without the white savior-ism and the unnecessary miscommunication trope.
This book is pure smut with a sprinkling of plot and it was great.
Could have done without the white savior-ism and the unnecessary miscommunication trope.
I had a really hard time with this book. While the plot was compelling (I mean, who can hate a heist with a twist ending?), I had a lot of difficulty due to the ages of the characters.
It really felt like trauma porn. I had to recast the characters as adults in my brain to make it palatable. I have strong objections to reading about children who have been sold into slavery and are forced to do sex work. Then the themes of addiction (drug and gambling), PTSD, child soldiers, and bigotry on top of it all? It was a lot for me to see 15-17 year olds handling while also acting as highly trained spies/soldiers.
As it is also really unlikely that teens could pull off what they did in this book, it would have been very easy to make them all adults.
I know life is hard, etc. but it felt like trauma for the sake of trauma at times.
Idk. Will be giving the second book a try because I need to know how they save Inej. But I have a sneaking suspicion someone won’t make it to the end of book two. Because… trauma.
It really felt like trauma porn. I had to recast the characters as adults in my brain to make it palatable. I have strong objections to reading about children who have been sold into slavery and are forced to do sex work. Then the themes of addiction (drug and gambling), PTSD, child soldiers, and bigotry on top of it all? It was a lot for me to see 15-17 year olds handling while also acting as highly trained spies/soldiers.
As it is also really unlikely that teens could pull off what they did in this book, it would have been very easy to make them all adults.
I know life is hard, etc. but it felt like trauma for the sake of trauma at times.
Idk. Will be giving the second book a try because I need to know how they save Inej. But I have a sneaking suspicion someone won’t make it to the end of book two. Because… trauma.
For non-book records, review text and ratings are hidden. Only mood, pace, and content warnings are visible.
The writing in the book was better, but it seemed like the same plot, recycled. Which is a shame because I love a naughty bucket list story.
Too slow a burn, not enough development of the “best friends.”
I’m also super over the “every sports guy is a superstar manwhore until the one magical girl comes around” narrative.
Meh.
Too slow a burn, not enough development of the “best friends.”
I’m also super over the “every sports guy is a superstar manwhore until the one magical girl comes around” narrative.
Meh.
For non-book records, review text and ratings are hidden. Only mood, pace, and content warnings are visible.
BRUH.
Hands down, this was the best book in the series. I truly do not comprehend what all the drama surrounding this book was about.
I have petty complaints about this book (like I liked Cas better when he wasn't such a simp and Poppy just refusing to realize that war = death) but I'm putting them all aside because this book really took ACOGB and ASITE and said "your boredom was WORTH IT."
I can't wait for the next book and to see Poppy continue to evolve into a badass.
Hands down, this was the best book in the series. I truly do not comprehend what all the drama surrounding this book was about.
Spoiler
I thought the Joining was done so tastefully and so carefully and Poppy is in NO WAY was "lusting over Kieran" while Cas was captured. BookTok is off their rocker for this narrative. The Joining was so foreshadowed (even the polyamory/throuple was, I mean come on? Poppy watching Kieran getting a blowjob in book three?) and there was no way that these simps would ever go about not living together forever if there was a way to do so. PLEASE.I have petty complaints about this book (like I liked Cas better when he wasn't such a simp and Poppy just refusing to realize that war = death) but I'm putting them all aside because this book really took ACOGB and ASITE and said "your boredom was WORTH IT."
I can't wait for the next book and to see Poppy continue to evolve into a badass.