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knp4597's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
ginnikin's review against another edition
1.0
Technically I finished this, but I skimmed aggressively through most of it. It just didn't much work for me. In addition to not bonding with the story, I just could not with Carlos. Also, also aside from some impressive chemistry, why exactly does he love her? Sure, I can see the foundation of a relationship, but love? Not so much, no.
Spoiler
You cannot get together with the sister of the person you killed. You don't hide that from her, and she is Off Limits.chenoadallen's review against another edition
2.0
So disappointing. I was excited to start this series because I loved Shadowshapers, but I could hardly believe this was by the same author. Hopefully it was written long before Shadowshapers - the writing is certainly less mature, as are the characters. Mostly, it's just terribly overwritten ("Woodhull looks more like a prison than a hospital. The hulking cement monstrosity sits at the geographical moment where Bushwick, Williamsburg, and Bed-Stuy converge. Three massive towers jut out from an aggressively plain block of nondescript windows..." Geographical moment???)
athryn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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? It's complicated
3.5
This was a pretty easy urban fantasy read. I like that there weren't any of the typical UF tropes - no vampires or werewolves, etc. Brooklyn felt real and lived in, and I really liked that. I picked this up because I'd read a short story set in the same universe, and I definitely feel inclined to read more.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Violence, Death, Medical trauma, Murder, and Blood
Minor: Pregnancy
rgrigsby80's review against another edition
2.0
So, this one just wasn't my cup of tea. It started out pretty entertaining but as I read on, I felt my interest start to wane. Characterization felt pretty flat and the world-building was weak. Carlos was a pretty two-dimensional character. Some of this is because he has no memory of his past life, but mainly it's just because I found him boring.
About midway through the book, after he's fallen in lust with a photograph and can't stop talking about Sasha, I realized the plot was going to be driven not by Carlos, but by Little Carlos. Ahem. I mean, I can only read so much about a flat character's raging boner for a secondary flat character before I start getting bored.
Once we got to the end and Sasha I was like yeah, this is dumb. That's it, I'm out.
Definitely not going to continue with this series.
About midway through the book, after he's fallen in lust with a photograph and can't stop talking about Sasha, I realized the plot was going to be driven not by Carlos, but by Little Carlos. Ahem. I mean, I can only read so much about a flat character's raging boner for a secondary flat character before I start getting bored.
Once we got to the end and Sasha
Spoiler
dropped the bomb that she's pregnant with Carlos's baby and that oh yeah she's an assassinDefinitely not going to continue with this series.
liinaps's review against another edition
1.0
Very, very disappointing. Not only is it weirdly misogynistic and rape-y, but it's also simply very boring.
sling's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting characters, great world building, somewhat messy story and plot. Will definitely read the next one.
shawcrit's review against another edition
3.0
I decided to pick this up because I'm drawn to urban fantasy with lots of POC characters. A lot of reviewers have mentioned that Older's description of the city is really interesting. This is somewhat true, though I was expecting a little more originality in this regard. Basically there is the "living" city, where us normals spend our time, and then the city occupied by spirits, dead but resistant to moving on to the real underworld, which is represented as a kind of looming chasm threatening to break the barrier between the two worlds. Meh. Cool but not mind-blowing.
The main character is pretty great. He was charming enough to keep me interested, and some of the more heavy-handed passages are punctuated with his ironic sense of humour, cutting the tension. This also allows some of the more cliche passages to avoid being too corny. Carlos is a pretty self-aware narrator, its like he's winking to the audience.
Everyone else was just "meh" to me. In terms of representing women characters, we have Esther, the house ghost, healer, and infinite source of wisdom, and Sasha, who is the femme fatale super hot chick who steals Carlos' heart. Yes, she is also a trained assasin. But this didn't make up for the fact that she's pretty one-dimensional throughout, despite being an important character plot-wise. I really liked Esther but she's also kind of side-lined as the "old wise one" with no real purpose except to guide the male protagonists on their quest.
Plot wise, this starts really strong, but the conclusion felt super rushed and unsatisfying. I'm not sure it even really made much sense. BUT there is a great hook in the last two pages that means I will definitely be reading the second. Overall, this is a good fun book, but I hope the next one does a better job fleshing out minor characters, especially the women.
The main character is pretty great. He was charming enough to keep me interested, and some of the more heavy-handed passages are punctuated with his ironic sense of humour, cutting the tension. This also allows some of the more cliche passages to avoid being too corny. Carlos is a pretty self-aware narrator, its like he's winking to the audience.
Everyone else was just "meh" to me. In terms of representing women characters, we have Esther, the house ghost, healer, and infinite source of wisdom, and Sasha, who is the femme fatale super hot chick who steals Carlos' heart. Yes, she is also a trained assasin. But this didn't make up for the fact that she's pretty one-dimensional throughout, despite being an important character plot-wise. I really liked Esther but she's also kind of side-lined as the "old wise one" with no real purpose except to guide the male protagonists on their quest.
Plot wise, this starts really strong, but the conclusion felt super rushed and unsatisfying. I'm not sure it even really made much sense. BUT there is a great hook in the last two pages that means I will definitely be reading the second. Overall, this is a good fun book, but I hope the next one does a better job fleshing out minor characters, especially the women.
shai3d's review against another edition
2.0
I finally gave upon this book when I found it putting me to sleep.