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edgarallenshoe's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I forced all my friends to read this in 9th grade
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
timian's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
mommyidun's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Rape, and Sexual assault
Minor: Murder, Rape, and Sexual assault
drakonreads's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
4.5 stars. I really like this book! I love the world and its politics. I like the hints of Norse mythology; mythology with science fiction is my favourite blend of genres. I liked the romance, I thought it might turn into a love triangle, but it didn't, and I love for not doing that (YA has enough of those). It was interesting to see how religion was discussed in the book since I recently read Soulswift.
The pace of the book is "medium" I would say. There were times that I thought things would pick up the pace and it did and didn't. The book really picked up the pace near the end of the book. A thing that slowed me down was the names since I'm unfamiliar with them (though does 'Hirka' mean something like 'bitter' in Norwegian like it does in Ukrainian? Given the story that does seem to fit).
Still was one thing that was the weakest point of the book for me: the way background information was provided in the story. Snippets of exposition seemed to repeat at time whereas at other times there was very little. For example: the time it was mentioned that Ilume's involvement with the council which was okay but when it's repeated for the third time as if we don't know already; it's unnecessary . I would have settled for either figuring out the worldbuilding on my own while reading -or- have it told once and move on to the next topic when it comes up. So, for me, the exposition was a weak point because of the way that it didn't quiet do either. At times it felt like a nice mystery to unravel, at other the same snippet of exposition was repeated multiple times.
The book is also more on the mature side of YA.
Overall, I like that the book does its own thing without leaning heavily on Norse mythology. The concept is interesting, the romance is of the type that I like. The exposition was a weak point but the worldbuilding kept it all interesting. I can't wait to see what next in the series!
***I received an ARC copy from NetGalley***
The pace of the book is "medium" I would say. There were times that I thought things would pick up the pace and it did and didn't. The book really picked up the pace near the end of the book. A thing that slowed me down was the names since I'm unfamiliar with them (though does 'Hirka' mean something like 'bitter' in Norwegian like it does in Ukrainian? Given the story that does seem to fit).
Still was one thing that was the weakest point of the book for me: the way background information was provided in the story. Snippets of exposition seemed to repeat at time whereas at other times there was very little. For example:
The book is also more on the mature side of YA.
Overall, I like that the book does its own thing without leaning heavily on Norse mythology. The concept is interesting, the romance is of the type that I like. The exposition was a weak point but the worldbuilding kept it all interesting. I can't wait to see what next in the series!
***I received an ARC copy from NetGalley***
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault
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