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jems_'s review against another edition
4.75
The characters were all unique and lovely and I came to love most of them a lot. The themes of home and food were heartwarming and mouthwatering respectively and I was just very happy to read this.
I love cozy witchy stories and this was just that, albeit having some points of tension and some more difficult topics in it.
Frankly, I knew I would like this book from the moment Kraken and Eric were introduced. I suppose I have a sweet spot for cats and sweet little children.
There were points in this book where it might’ve felt a tiiiny bit too immature and the kind of miscommunication in it positively infuriated me towards the later parts of the book but none of that can justify me lowering my rating much more right now. I liked this far too much.
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Vomit, Miscarriage, and Alcoholism
Minor: Homophobia
litwitchcore's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Pregnancy and Bullying
Minor: Miscarriage, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, War, Sexual harassment, and Child abuse
jadejade's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Pregnancy and Alcohol
Minor: Sexual harassment, Infertility, and Bullying
torturedreadersdept's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, Sexism, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Body horror, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Classism, Homophobia, Sexual harassment, and Stalking
Minor: Miscarriage and Biphobia
chrisljm's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Miscarriage, Alcoholism, Sexual harassment, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Vomit, Xenophobia, Stalking, Infertility, Hate crime, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Child abuse, Classism, Medical content, and Homophobia
Minor: War, Religious bigotry, Murder, Racial slurs, and Sexual content
lackyducks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The rest of the characters similarly are quick to become favourites. The kitchen aides are funny and it's heartwarming to watch them grow and learn throughout the story. There's a lot of side relationships that switch and change throughout the story. Even the antagonists are written well, intimidating in the scenes they appear but still multidimensional.
Despite the light-hearted and humourous nature of the book, there's also darkness to balance it out. The story follows a country on the verge of war, with all the court drama and political espionage that comes with it. We also delve into Fin's backstory, discovering his origins and how they are coming back to haunt him.
The main romance took a while to grow on me, and the 'will they won't they' dominates the latter half of the book. But I found the conclusion to this enjoyable and look forward to seeing how the relationship develops in the sequels. Both of the characters keep the core aspects of their personality whilst learning to make room for the other.
The worldbuilding for the magic is basic and understandable, built on the elements. There are ruling covens that play a minor role in the plot. A level of depth, though, comes from the mutations away from the four elements and the realisation Fin may be a lot more powerful than first appears.
Also, the cat has his own point of view and political drama. This is with an entirely separate cast of characters (cats) whilst still tying into the main plot. It's incredible.
Graphic: Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Homophobia, War, Bullying, Violence, Alcohol, Hate crime, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, Miscarriage, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Vomit
Minor: Slavery and Body shaming
One of the main characters is pregnant and has suffered miscarriages before, which is one of the key plots through the book. There is an arc where one of the characters is attacked by the world equivalent of a religious group for being gay. Another character suffered persecution due to magic in the past. One of the characters briefly discusses being a victim of slavery. Alcohol is present in many scenes and characters get drunk.strange_little_ranger's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Minor: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Pregnancy, Sexism, Alcohol, Blood, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and War
thewellbitch's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Alcohol
Moderate: Homophobia, Hate crime, and Violence
Minor: Domestic abuse, Sexual harassment, Child abuse, and Bullying
princesspumpkinhead10's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Minor: Miscarriage, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual harassment, and Bullying
the sexual harassment was handled welljanuaryt123's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Physical abuse, Hate crime, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual harassment and Vomit