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nomonbooks's review against another edition
medium-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? Yes
3.5
This is a YA fantasy romance and I appreciate the romance taking a backseat to the story. I'm really glad I read this but I don't think it will stay with me forever. I loved reading this story set in South Africa about a coloured (preferred term in SA and noted at the start of the book) young woman who holds so much anger. The first opening scenes where a guy shouts at her from his car and she grabs a bat and smashes in the hood makes the whole book worth a read. I love the embrace of anger and the illustrated necessity of having that anger as a weapon, especially as a woman.
I thought the dream sequences were really well done and solidly interwoven into the plot.
I do feel like there were too many moving parts at times and the focus wasn't enough on the main thrust of the story. A lot of things happened and some of them I was kind of drifting as to why I was there. There were some bad decisions made by the characters given the stakes and some moments that I didn't quite understand their reasoning when more sensible decisions were definitely available.
Overall I enjoyed this and would reccomend.
I thought the dream sequences were really well done and solidly interwoven into the plot.
I do feel like there were too many moving parts at times and the focus wasn't enough on the main thrust of the story. A lot of things happened and some of them I was kind of drifting as to why I was there. There were some bad decisions made by the characters given the stakes and some moments that I didn't quite understand their reasoning when more sensible decisions were definitely available.
Overall I enjoyed this and would reccomend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Physical abuse
Moderate: Physical abuse, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Body horror, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Self harm, and Injury/Injury detail
rokinjaguar's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The concept is so cool, and I think it delivers well enough for what it is, but I often find YA books annoying and hard to get invested in. I often don’t find the characters and their problems relatable, and it’s rare that YA characters are truly clever or wise, which is fine cause they’re young, but it’s just often not for me.
That’s kind of the critique I had for this book, the characters could be reckless and unwise in ways that made it difficult for me to get really invested, but that’s kind of a given with many books in this genre. What makes this book unique was done pretty well. The concept is cool and plays out satisfactorily, although that’s rather subjective and others may find the ending unsatisfying. Overall it was worth the read, but I probably won’t buy it for my collection. I may check out other books by this author though! She has some good ideas!
That’s kind of the critique I had for this book, the characters could be reckless and unwise in ways that made it difficult for me to get really invested, but that’s kind of a given with many books in this genre. What makes this book unique was done pretty well. The concept is cool and plays out satisfactorily, although that’s rather subjective and others may find the ending unsatisfying. Overall it was worth the read, but I probably won’t buy it for my collection. I may check out other books by this author though! She has some good ideas!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Slavery, Blood, Death, Misogyny, Cursing, and Murder
Minor: Car accident, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Animal cruelty, Alcohol, and Sexual content
grrrlbrarian's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- 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
5.0
I’m really struggling with slug brain at the moment, but this book is INCREDIBLE, I loved it so much! Anger, blood magic, curses, intergenerational trauma - just such a good read
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Misogyny, and Sexism
Minor: Genocide
theunfinishedbookshelf's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, Domestic abuse, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Slavery
natashaleighton_'s review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
fast-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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Slavery, Misogyny, and Violence
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