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asfaltsblommor's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
reflective
sad
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? No
4.0
erica13's review against another edition
4.0
I LOVED this book. It was so fun and full of thrill, along with all of the characters we follow within the unseen world. This would possibly be a five star though if it weren’t for the major plot holes.
Spoilers below, in case you aren’t me reading this in the future.
.
.
There are just some things that don’t make sense.
The House of Shadows
- Sydney explains that she fought her way out of the house through trials, but if you were there for sacrifice and most likely to die, why would the house let you come out of it? Why can they fight out of shadows in the first place? Why does shadows teach them to use their magic when the whole purpose is to give it away? How can they use their own magic in general in the house when it is supposed to be taken away from them? The house was very sad and was interesting to learn about, but should have been explained more.
Miranda
- Miranda said she killed her husband for sacrificing
their daughter. Why would she kill him 12 years later? If Sydney and Grey are actually twins, and Grey got hurt from the attack at 12, this truly makes no sense.
- Miranda loses her magic at a point. We knew that she was attacked, but we never fully know or understand how one can lose their magic. How can a large attack cause her to lose her magic, when someone who is dueling doesn’t?
The use of magic
- Merlin is losing his magic, but doesn’t he use the house of shadows’ magic anyway? Why does his personal magic matter if he’s using shadows’ magic? It would make sense if he was losing his ability to use magic, but they always say it as he’s losing “his” magic in his body.
Random
- Where is Sydney getting money to survive after getting out of shadows?
- Why are we making Grace RUN THE UNSEEN WORLD when all the girl needs right now is a break? I felt so bad for her.
These questions did take me out of the story, but I fell back in each time. The story was interwoven between each character, leading to learning information, understanding the turning, and watching motives of other characters change. I know many don’t like multiple plot points to follow but I LOVED all the characters. I felt like this story would be very one-sided if only using one main POV. The writing was very entertaining and overall I had a very fun time with this book.
Spoilers below, in case you aren’t me reading this in the future.
.
.
There are just some things that don’t make sense.
The House of Shadows
- Sydney explains that she fought her way out of the house through trials, but if you were there for sacrifice and most likely to die, why would the house let you come out of it? Why can they fight out of shadows in the first place? Why does shadows teach them to use their magic when the whole purpose is to give it away? How can they use their own magic in general in the house when it is supposed to be taken away from them? The house was very sad and was interesting to learn about, but should have been explained more.
Miranda
- Miranda said she killed her husband for sacrificing
their daughter. Why would she kill him 12 years later? If Sydney and Grey are actually twins, and Grey got hurt from the attack at 12, this truly makes no sense.
- Miranda loses her magic at a point. We knew that she was attacked, but we never fully know or understand how one can lose their magic. How can a large attack cause her to lose her magic, when someone who is dueling doesn’t?
The use of magic
- Merlin is losing his magic, but doesn’t he use the house of shadows’ magic anyway? Why does his personal magic matter if he’s using shadows’ magic? It would make sense if he was losing his ability to use magic, but they always say it as he’s losing “his” magic in his body.
Random
- Where is Sydney getting money to survive after getting out of shadows?
- Why are we making Grace RUN THE UNSEEN WORLD when all the girl needs right now is a break? I felt so bad for her.
These questions did take me out of the story, but I fell back in each time. The story was interwoven between each character, leading to learning information, understanding the turning, and watching motives of other characters change. I know many don’t like multiple plot points to follow but I LOVED all the characters. I felt like this story would be very one-sided if only using one main POV. The writing was very entertaining and overall I had a very fun time with this book.
trin's review against another edition
2.0
Very flat and tell-y. A lot of "this happened and then this happened" -- even up to and including the climax, in which the villain's defeat is relayed with about as much passion as a local council recap. There might be some interesting world-building ideas in here, but the style prevented me from every being able to sink in and feel the world.
jowithtwoiis's review against another edition
5.0
I enjoyed this immensely, bittersweet ending and all. I can't recommend it enough!
tales_of_erasmo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
readingrainbowtho's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
4.0
imds's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Violence, Body horror, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Trafficking, Xenophobia, Child abuse, Confinement, Murder, Abandonment, Death, Torture, Stalking, and Blood
Moderate: Death of parent
kalkn's review against another edition
3.0
I really wanted to enjoy this book more. Especially after outgrowing Harry Potter, Spellshadow Manor, and really hating The Magicians series. This book wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great either. The best way to describe it would be that it’s the kind of book you’d pickup in an airport lounge to make the flight go a little faster. At the end, I’m glad it’s not taking up space on my physical bookshelf. But, it’s one I’ll probably leave on my ereader to look at again if there’s ever a sequel.
What I liked
The magic system - Even though it didn’t have all of the rules explained until the end (power of an individual’s shadow); the magic system felt established. There were rules and consequences. It wasn’t something that changed to fit what the story needed it too.
The concept - the potential for the story was great! The idea of how magic is pooled and used and condone fighting the system. A classic underdog story of the victim coming in to take names and set things right. The concept was there, but the execution left me wanting something more, something better.
What I didn’t like
The language - cursing for cursing’s sake is just distracting and the book had enough that it pulled me out of the story several times and just left me shaking my head and wondering what the need for it was.
The execution of the story - while I said above that I liked the concept, the story just didn’t live up to the potential. The resolution of Shara and Grey was very disappointing. Not much more than a couple of paragraphs to finish their stories off. After all the build up, it get short changed.
The characters - there wasn’t really anyone that the author got me super invested in. They were just characters, not people I cared about. A good story makes the characters real, makes me care. This one, they never left the character stage.
What I liked
The magic system - Even though it didn’t have all of the rules explained until the end (power of an individual’s shadow); the magic system felt established. There were rules and consequences. It wasn’t something that changed to fit what the story needed it too.
The concept - the potential for the story was great! The idea of how magic is pooled and used and condone fighting the system. A classic underdog story of the victim coming in to take names and set things right. The concept was there, but the execution left me wanting something more, something better.
What I didn’t like
The language - cursing for cursing’s sake is just distracting and the book had enough that it pulled me out of the story several times and just left me shaking my head and wondering what the need for it was.
The execution of the story - while I said above that I liked the concept, the story just didn’t live up to the potential. The resolution of Shara and Grey was very disappointing. Not much more than a couple of paragraphs to finish their stories off. After all the build up, it get short changed.
The characters - there wasn’t really anyone that the author got me super invested in. They were just characters, not people I cared about. A good story makes the characters real, makes me care. This one, they never left the character stage.
ngm99's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
I enjoyed the book, it was fast paced, interesting, well-written and easy to read. I didn't give it a higher rating because I found it a tad superficial and juvenile. I would categorize it as young adult and would probably have liked it more if I had read it when it was published. There's a sequel but the ending here is closed and I don't feel the need to continue the story.
readcharlotte's review against another edition
5.0
I love a story of how magic would really transpire in the real world. The dark realities that would really occur are such a breath of fresh air from the saccharin fairy tales. Can't wait for #2.