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crown14's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I don't know how to say this nicely but it kinda grows on you like a rash. I (along with like a billion other people because the author was getting torn to shreds for a while and it was definitely deserved lmao) have my criticisms and they are not small but in the end, I liked it enough to pick up the second one today. I think it's a work of passion above all else and it shows, just like the fact that she wrote it 6 days.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Child abuse
morgie27's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
This was a fun read. I felt it was fast paced in the sense that I was captivated the entire time. If it wasn't the story line keeping me going, the character development did. There were lots of parts that made me laugh out loud. Plot twist was thrown in that I did not see coming. Will definitely be reading book 2!! I also tried my hand at annotating for the first time with this book and it was a good choice. I highlighted parts that were about beauty and wonderment, funny moments, character development, places, monsters, trauma, growth and development and self reflection, significant events or foreshadowing and steamy moments.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Trafficking, and Child abuse
Minor: Rape, Sexual content, and Murder
portablebunbun's review
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.0
I tried really hard to like this book but the only thing that stopped me from dropping it was the intrigue. I almost DNF it twice, at 44% and 91%. The characters seem flat, motives underdeveloped, world building is plain, certain parts are so repetitive, and I found myself skipping paragraphs to get to more interesting parts.
Amaris such a meh character and I find it hard to root for her at all. At one point, a character asks her why she’s doing this at all and girl I’m honestly asking you the same question.
My biggest issue is with Nox. She is definitely my favorite character but her POVs were few and far between and it’s really hard to miss that she’s the only POC AND constantly getting the short end of the stick. She’s sold to a brothel, SA’d, being used as a white woman’s pawn, etc. Her main goal is to find Amaris again and Amaris doesn’t seem to care about Nox at all!!! I’m not a stranger to some good ol one side pining, but it’s just another burden she has to bear for Amaris. Nox lays down her life over and over again for Amaris and even until the end, Amaris doesn’t seem to give a shit. There’s something so heinous about a POC constantly suffering for the sake of The Whitest Girl.
I don’t think I’ll be reading the sequels for now. Reading this was honestly kind of a frustrating experience.
Amaris such a meh character and I find it hard to root for her at all. At one point, a character asks her why she’s doing this at all and girl I’m honestly asking you the same question.
My biggest issue is with Nox. She is definitely my favorite character but her POVs were few and far between and it’s really hard to miss that she’s the only POC AND constantly getting the short end of the stick. She’s sold to a brothel, SA’d, being used as a white woman’s pawn, etc. Her main goal is to find Amaris again and Amaris doesn’t seem to care about Nox at all!!! I’m not a stranger to some good ol one side pining, but it’s just another burden she has to bear for Amaris. Nox lays down her life over and over again for Amaris and even until the end, Amaris doesn’t seem to give a shit. There’s something so heinous about a POC constantly suffering for the sake of The Whitest Girl.
I don’t think I’ll be reading the sequels for now. Reading this was honestly kind of a frustrating experience.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Trafficking, and Child abuse
amadpanda's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Child abuse, Trafficking, Abandonment, Violence, Emotional abuse, Murder, Kidnapping, Confinement, and Grief
Moderate: Gore and Torture
Minor: Sexual assault and Rape
sven47's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Slavery
Moderate: Pedophilia
kaylurzz's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
The amount of times I almost DNF-ed this. I should have and saved myself some time lol.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Sexual assault, Racism, Rape, Sexual content, Violence, Trafficking, Child abuse, Slavery, and Murder
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, and Abandonment
Minor: Religious bigotry, War, and Xenophobia
ashliebysmashliereads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Plot: 3.5
Characters: 4
Tension: 4.5
Originality: 3
Immersiveness: 3
Characters: 4
Tension: 4.5
Originality: 3
Immersiveness: 3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence and Child abuse
court_reads_it_all's review
The first red flag in the book is the constant description of Amaris' white skin as pure and beautiful, while Nox, the only POC character, is the only one to be whipped. Additionally, Amaris romanticizes life as a farmer or noble man's wife, while Nox tries to protect her friend during a traumatic event. The writing style attempts to mimic Tolkien or C.S. Lewis but falls short, resulting in the book dragging on with chapters dedicated to mundane tasks. Overall, the book is disappointing and only receives one star despite being a gift and on my to-be-read list.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Self harm, Trafficking, Violence, Death, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Slavery, Blood, Body shaming, Racism, Abandonment, Bullying, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Pedophilia, Child abuse, Classism, Toxic friendship, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, and Injury/Injury detail
frizzbiscuit's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Plot had me hooked, addictive read, but the constant fetishisation of POCs is really uncomfortable to read.
Every single line talking about how delectable Nox is also talks about her dark caramel skin. Amaris is similarly compared to a snowflake and her pale skin is always talked about when they talk about how beautiful she is, I get that it's SUPPOSED to be a contrast thing, but yeah, the narrative talks about them VERY differently.
The sexual violence is also not my cup of tea. I did look up content warnings first and there is a very clear disclaimer in the beginning of the book, so I was prepared. Some of those scenes were clearly written to showcase the horror of it, but the way Nox "reclaims" her power doesn't really hit the mark for me.
The number of typos and just like horrendously wrong sentences was also super distracting while reading, but that probably makes sense for a self-published book.
Overall though, I enjoyed the story and was rooting for characters.
The number of typos and just like horrendously wrong sentences was also super distracting while reading, but that probably makes sense for a self-published book.
Overall though, I enjoyed the story and was rooting for characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Trafficking, Child abuse, and Sexual assault
Minor: Xenophobia and Religious bigotry
nicolemarieisme's review
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Over half of this book felt as if nothing was happening so it made it very hard to follow the characters. It also felt as if characters were experiencing trauma just for dramas sake.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Rape, and Child abuse