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halfbloodprincess_hogwarts's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
That was quite an emotional rollercoaster...I am speechless. It's impossible to add specific lines (I annotated this like crazy) without gushing over what happened that it felt like watching a movie series.
It was quite indept... going through the various magic systems, magical families, scientific use of genes and the list goes on!!!!
There were so many laugh out loud moments and one in particular was comic relief at the PERFECT moment 👏🏼🤌🏼 relating to a "certain" family member, it would be a HUGE SPOILER.
I ADORE Voya and find her to be a truly relatable character. From being afraid to making mistakes to her passion for baking to her fierce love for her family and grandma🥰🥺🦋.
I am so enthused its the first of a duology and will soon purchase physical copies to enjoy over and over again. BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR BLOOD LIKE FATE, released August 9th. I know for a fact it will NOT disappoint🔥🦋🦋🦋
Graphic: Torture, Addiction, Blood, Death of parent, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Violence, Alcohol, Child death, Cursing, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Vomit, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Death, Hate crime, Murder, Police brutality, Infertility, Medical content, Body horror, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Bullying, Grief, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Slavery, and Stalking
theespressoedition's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The book literally opens with a character bathing in her own period blood. I'm sorry, but that is really gross. It made me nauseous just reading about it. And while I have no problem with books using blood magic or talking about periods.. that combination really, really hit me the wrong way. Not a strong start. It almost felt like clickbait. Like they added a shock factor right there at the jump to get you to stick around. And it worked. I stuck around. But that knocked a whole star off my rating from the get-go.
The moment I read that the protagonist had to kill her first love, I rolled my eyes. I thought, here we go again. How many times have we read that trope? HOWEVER, I will say that this was executed really well. It was rather unexpected as far as that part of the story goes (and it's basically the biggest part of the story).
I felt connected to the characters. I really liked a few of them, hated a few others, and worried about a few more. I wasn't particularly drawn to the MC because of her personality. It was slightly off-putting. But I did enjoy the love interest and the family dynamic. In fact, the family dynamic was probably my favorite part.
There was such a strong emphasis on the different relationships within the family and that's what tugged at my heartstrings and convinced me to keep reading. It's also what caused me to add the sequel to my TBR at the end, despite not loving this particular book.
Again, I feel like if the book hadn't started out so strangely, I would've been way more in love with it from the beginning.
Graphic: Blood, Murder, Violence, Death of parent, Gore, Child death, Death, and Torture
Moderate: Eating disorder, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Mental illness
Minor: Deadnaming, Gun violence, Police brutality, and Homophobia
isleoflinds's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Body horror, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Slavery, Outing, Drug abuse, and Torture
tc_booksandmore's review
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Blood and Slavery
prairieraven's review
- 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
4.75
Minor: Addiction, Abandonment, Alcohol, Blood, Child death, Classism, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Trafficking, and Violence
foreverbookwandering's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Blood, Confinement, Death, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Slavery, Violence, and Child death
Minor: Terminal illness
bellasbookmark's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
Graphic: Slavery, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Abandonment, Addiction, Drug abuse, and Police brutality
Minor: Gun violence, Racial slurs, and Racism
nova_quill's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Minor: Alcoholism, Blood, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Murder, Self harm, Slavery, Torture, Transphobia, and Violence
nschweitzer21's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
For instance, though multiple main and supporting characters are trans, Voya (our main character and narrator) seems content to assume gender and be corrected later, rather than simply read their pronouns on their easily accessible “feed” profile before making judgements. Gender neutral pronouns are not featured in this book, despite Voya’s insistence that trans and non-binary individuals are accepted. Similarly, descriptions of characters are sparse, rather than describing physical characteristics, style, or the way someone holds themselves, Voya’s narration frequently only introduces characters by race/ethnicity. Characters are introduced by saying “a Black woman with distinctly East Asian eyes” which 1) sometimes reduces characters to stereotypes and 2) doesn’t do much to paint a mental picture of the characters.
Speaking of trans people, the book also seems to push a very medicalized version of trans identity. All trans characters are insistent on getting the genetic treatment that alters their DNA to replicate transition surgeries “naturally” and Voya questions whether or not certain characters have had the procedure. Characters don’t really discuss their identities or feelings beyond the very “physical” aspect of trans identity. While this isn’t a bad thing, I feel that by having trans characters (and their feelings/needs surrounding transition) feature heavily in the book, the author could have either done more to explore this or allowed trans characters to exist separate from their “transition status.”
That being said, I enjoyed the plot of this book and the insistence Voya has on her family and her ancestors, and her desire to protect the people she loves while maintaining her sense of self. The Thomas family traditions and Trinidadian culture also features heavily and are really great additions. The magic system is well defined and has strict rules. I found myself simultaneously hating Voya and sympathizing with her. Luc is a fun character with layers. The family is well fleshed out and I never had trouble remembering who was who, despite the extended supporting cast.
Overall, this is a good book. I just wish some of the characters and identities featured in the book were more fleshed out.
Graphic: Blood, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Addiction, Eating disorder, and Racism
Minor: Abandonment, Kidnapping, and Slavery
The book does go into graphic detail regarding a whipping scene in the context of slavery. There is also graphic descriptions of blood and violence.bedtimesandbooks's review
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Slavery, Child death, Murder, Violence, Torture, Addiction, Blood, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Racism, Toxic relationship, Police brutality, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Terminal illness