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emlittle's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, and Murder
dhwani's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Cannibalism, Death, Gore, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Self harm, Vomit, and Confinement
Minor: Death of parent and Confinement
readin_em_reviews's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
//Synopsis
In this YA dark fantasy, Emanuela and her best friend Ale live in Occhia, the only town in existence and one which is nestled underneath a mysterious ruby veil. Occhia, however, does not have a natural source of water and only a creature called the watercrea can create it. The catch is that she creates water from blood, and whenever a marking called an omen appears on someone's skin, they must surrender themselves to the watercrea.
Emanuela is set to marry Ale, making her the most powerful woman in Occhia. She doesn't care that they are both gay and the marriage loveless, bc it will make her powerful. But on the morning of her wedding, the watercrea exposes that Emanuela has been hiding an omen for years. She eventually kills the watercrea, and her and Ale must now venture beyond the veil to find another source of water.
//Review
Okay, wow, this book is something else. I've never read anything quite like this, and that's what made me love it so much. In the author's blurb about herself, she says she writes YA fantasy "about unlikeable female characters who ruin everything," and that basically sums it up perfectly. Emanuela is cunning, selfish, power-hungry, and arrogant, but it totally works for this story.
It's a relatively short book with a quick, action-packed pace. The plot escalates rather quickly, thanks to Emanuela's decisions, and I was caught off-guard a few times by the action. I feel like it's difficult to create truly unique worlds and magic systems, but this one surely is unlike anything I've read before.
This book is also *very* gorey. There is quite a lot of blood. But it was all essential to the story and not just included for shock value. I finished this right before bed and it made for some wild dreams tho 🙈.
I don't want to give too much away bc I didn't really know much about this book going into it and I feel like that made the experience better.
If you like strong, morally gray female characters in magical worlds, I'd recommend this for you.
In this YA dark fantasy, Emanuela and her best friend Ale live in Occhia, the only town in existence and one which is nestled underneath a mysterious ruby veil. Occhia, however, does not have a natural source of water and only a creature called the watercrea can create it. The catch is that she creates water from blood, and whenever a marking called an omen appears on someone's skin, they must surrender themselves to the watercrea.
Emanuela is set to marry Ale, making her the most powerful woman in Occhia. She doesn't care that they are both gay and the marriage loveless, bc it will make her powerful. But on the morning of her wedding, the watercrea exposes that Emanuela has been hiding an omen for years. She eventually kills the watercrea, and her and Ale must now venture beyond the veil to find another source of water.
//Review
Okay, wow, this book is something else. I've never read anything quite like this, and that's what made me love it so much. In the author's blurb about herself, she says she writes YA fantasy "about unlikeable female characters who ruin everything," and that basically sums it up perfectly. Emanuela is cunning, selfish, power-hungry, and arrogant, but it totally works for this story.
It's a relatively short book with a quick, action-packed pace. The plot escalates rather quickly, thanks to Emanuela's decisions, and I was caught off-guard a few times by the action. I feel like it's difficult to create truly unique worlds and magic systems, but this one surely is unlike anything I've read before.
This book is also *very* gorey. There is quite a lot of blood. But it was all essential to the story and not just included for shock value. I finished this right before bed and it made for some wild dreams tho 🙈.
I don't want to give too much away bc I didn't really know much about this book going into it and I feel like that made the experience better.
If you like strong, morally gray female characters in magical worlds, I'd recommend this for you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, and Gore
manicfemme's review
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I started this book and didn’t come up for air until I’d finished, three-ish hours later. I can’t remember the last book I read in literally one sitting, but that’s exactly what happened with Beyond the Ruby Veil.
I don’t even have words for what I just read, but I loved every minute of it. Please read this book and come yell about it with me, LOL.
Love sapphic books, too? Let's be friends! Bookstagram | Booktube | Book Blog | Twitter
I don’t even have words for what I just read, but I loved every minute of it. Please read this book and come yell about it with me, LOL.
Love sapphic books, too? Let's be friends! Bookstagram | Booktube | Book Blog | Twitter
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, and Gore
Moderate: Self harm and Homophobia
nikkiyrj's review
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A fun and quick read! I didn't expect it to turn into that direction at the end of the book but I'm glad to see more characters like Emanuela emerging into the young adult genre too. I see a really great potential enemies-to-lovers romance too which I'm excited to see how it develops in the next book. A lot of Killing Eve vibes too ;)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, and Physical abuse
caidyn's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I received an ARC through NOVL in exchange for an honest review!
CW: blood (for magic), death, and homophobia - https://marafitzgerald.com/content-warnings/
I read this book in two days, half each day. I could have read it (and wished I had been able to) in one sitting because it was just that good! I've been excited about this book for a while because I love dark, queer fantasies!
In this Emanuela's world, they have to ration water because there isn't enough to go around. Everyone gets the same amount no matter what. There's a watercrea who turns blood into water. The blood comes from people who get omens/markings on them that mean it's time for them to go to the watercrea. But, Emanuela does something very stupid that makes it so they don't have a watercrea and, therefore, will run out of water. Alongside her best friend (and betrothed) Ale, they find another world that had an abundance of water... which Emanuela decides to steal.
As I said, this book is quick. It's not a long book and the pacing is great. I loved the pacing because it was so good. Then, I also loved the queerness of it, more with Ale than anyone. He's gay and it's very much stated that he is only interested in men, which I really liked. However, Emanuela has been described as a "disaster sapphic".... but I didn't read her that way? I definitely read her more as asexual and/or aromantic. I didn't get sapphic vibes from the story at all. I could see it heading in that direction, but I also felt that it didn't get to that point. Which is fine, but I definitely read Emanuela more as possibly being aroace.
All in all, I can't wait for the sequel already and I'll definitely be reading it to see what the next adventure is!
CW: blood (for magic), death, and homophobia - https://marafitzgerald.com/content-warnings/
I read this book in two days, half each day. I could have read it (and wished I had been able to) in one sitting because it was just that good! I've been excited about this book for a while because I love dark, queer fantasies!
In this Emanuela's world, they have to ration water because there isn't enough to go around. Everyone gets the same amount no matter what. There's a watercrea who turns blood into water. The blood comes from people who get omens/markings on them that mean it's time for them to go to the watercrea. But, Emanuela does something very stupid that makes it so they don't have a watercrea and, therefore, will run out of water. Alongside her best friend (and betrothed) Ale, they find another world that had an abundance of water... which Emanuela decides to steal.
As I said, this book is quick. It's not a long book and the pacing is great. I loved the pacing because it was so good. Then, I also loved the queerness of it, more with Ale than anyone. He's gay and it's very much stated that he is only interested in men, which I really liked. However, Emanuela has been described as a "disaster sapphic".... but I didn't read her that way? I definitely read her more as asexual and/or aromantic. I didn't get sapphic vibes from the story at all. I could see it heading in that direction, but I also felt that it didn't get to that point. Which is fine, but I definitely read Emanuela more as possibly being aroace.
All in all, I can't wait for the sequel already and I'll definitely be reading it to see what the next adventure is!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Death
Moderate: Homophobia
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