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lyakimov's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars.
The whole plot was a huge mishmash of magic and politics that confused me so much. It was a little bit of everything and it just did not work for the story. Also the instalove and the made-up swear words was so annoying. I really can’t take it seriously when they say “Muck you” like girl WHAT. Am I not supposed to laugh?? Also, the main character is 5 foot, and the love interest TOWERS over her of course like every other goddamn book.
The whole plot was a huge mishmash of magic and politics that confused me so much. It was a little bit of everything and it just did not work for the story. Also the instalove and the made-up swear words was so annoying. I really can’t take it seriously when they say “Muck you” like girl WHAT. Am I not supposed to laugh?? Also, the main character is 5 foot, and the love interest TOWERS over her of course like every other goddamn book.
hauntingcare's review against another edition
5.0
5 stars. Absolute phenomenon. Kept me on edge until the very last line. Looking forward to King Of Fools!!!
kittybeemartin's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
So glad to be free! This book is often compared to Six of Crows which is how it found its way onto my TBR. I think fans of SOC would be interested in the premise this book, but you have to be prepared for the fact that the FMC is meek and naive in a way Inej and Nina would be embarrassed by. The pace is slow and the writing style is a bit odd.
lizzycatslibrary's review against another edition
3.0
I would have given it 4 stars but seriously... wtf happened to that ending? It was rushed, poorly written, underwhelming and just downright disappointing. Seriously , what happened?
alexan13's review against another edition
4.0
Given how lukewarm I felt starting this book, and how long it took me to get into it, I certainly did not expect to find a new favorite.
But wow. These characters have my whole entire heart and I can just tell I’m going to be thinking about them for a long time to come.
There were definitely some flaws with the world building of this novel that made it difficult to get into and at times made the world difficult to believe — it’s detailed world building, but done in a surface level way, mostly through information dumps throughout the novel. But, the political stakes this ending left gives me hope the sequel will come through with the more substantial world information. And by the end of this novel, the atmosphere of the City of Sin had really sunk in, and I did believe in the city that reveals itself to almost be a character in the novel.
I’d also say the narrative style took a while to get used to — the writing style is pretty simple prose overall, but with artsy (and very beautiful and well-constructed! Truly some great lines, I will credit), deeply metaphorical, figurative sentences thrown in every couple pages. It’s not that this was necessarily bad, but it just felt forced and overly “”literary”” when the rest of the writing is not, which felt disjointed and took me out of the story every time it happened.
For these reasons, I have to fairly give it four stars. But in my heart and for my emotional experience for the final 60% of the novel, it is a new favorite for sure.
I seriously cannot gush enough about the characters, and their growth, and the s l o w burn of the romantic relationships and developing friendships through out. The plot too escalates from stakes that are hard to get invested to, into a truly intriguing mystery about a quarter way into the book. And the tension that is successfully established at this point does not let up the rest of the novel — I found myself literally tearing through the last tenth of it.
But wow. These characters have my whole entire heart and I can just tell I’m going to be thinking about them for a long time to come.
There were definitely some flaws with the world building of this novel that made it difficult to get into and at times made the world difficult to believe — it’s detailed world building, but done in a surface level way, mostly through information dumps throughout the novel. But, the political stakes this ending left gives me hope the sequel will come through with the more substantial world information. And by the end of this novel, the atmosphere of the City of Sin had really sunk in, and I did believe in the city that reveals itself to almost be a character in the novel.
I’d also say the narrative style took a while to get used to — the writing style is pretty simple prose overall, but with artsy (and very beautiful and well-constructed! Truly some great lines, I will credit), deeply metaphorical, figurative sentences thrown in every couple pages. It’s not that this was necessarily bad, but it just felt forced and overly “”literary”” when the rest of the writing is not, which felt disjointed and took me out of the story every time it happened.
For these reasons, I have to fairly give it four stars. But in my heart and for my emotional experience for the final 60% of the novel, it is a new favorite for sure.
I seriously cannot gush enough about the characters, and their growth, and the s l o w burn of the romantic relationships and developing friendships through out. The plot too escalates from stakes that are hard to get invested to, into a truly intriguing mystery about a quarter way into the book. And the tension that is successfully established at this point does not let up the rest of the novel — I found myself literally tearing through the last tenth of it.
luey03's review against another edition
2.0
You know what's sad? My favorite characters were Chez and Mansi.
I honestly feel embarrassed for Amanda Foody, because 'muck'.... seriously? If you can't come up with anything more unique than muck just don't add a fake swear word.
Spoiler
Yep. Chez tried to kill Levi (and I honestly wish he had succeeded) and Mansi was in the book for an entirety of about two seconds.I honestly feel embarrassed for Amanda Foody, because 'muck'.... seriously? If you can't come up with anything more unique than muck just don't add a fake swear word.
katielikesbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
It was okay, I just didn’t find it as tense as I think Amanda was trying to write it to be. I liked the characters but I didn’t really feel attached to them or what they were going through, not sure why. It was still a good book but I don’t think I will read the rest of the trilogy.
angelika0105's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
abbyl819's review against another edition
5.0
This is the best reading experience that I’ve had in awhile! I found this whole world of New Reynes and the magic/talents correlated to their lineage and names so incredibly intriguing. I couldn’t put this book down! I also really enjoyed the characters, although there were a few instances of name that I couldn’t remember or keep straight, I had no problem adjusting to the world and learning about it as Enne herself did. I have so many questions and can’t wait to read the next book. It reminded me of the Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo and Caraval by Stephanie Garber series, and I would highly recommend this to fans of those books.