Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Rebel Angels by Libba Bray

3 reviews

itsreirei's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.75

I enjoyed the first volume a lot and I sooo wanted to love this, too....it was so long yet I learnt barely anything new about the world? We meet a bunch of new characters who barely add to the plot but we don't really learn much new of the realms. Definitely could've skipped a good chunk, I was wondering if the extra 100+ pages compared to the previous book would be justified but alas, naurrr. Felt kinda repetitive.
The "twists" you could see coming from a mile away;
when you have only 2 suspects, it's not that hard to guess...
the characters just seemed dumb this way, like whyyy can't u seee
Also, in the first book the girlies keep using magic even outside the realms but in this one they just...forget??or??? They're in the realms and never think to use magic for anything even though it's supposed to be unbound, so they could just say, fly distances but instead opt for walking. Seems like the author made the magic system a bit too OP by having no clear boundaries and tried to install difficulties despite it.
(Btw
lowkey mad Pippa was brought back just for her character to be butchered... Her ending was so bittersweet in the first volume, why take it back...
Also, why did everyone act like Circe was this crazy powerful evil witch, she was only a human who literally tried to seize power by just...talking lmao (+why did they not recognize Ms Moore at Spence, that wasn't explained either)
Speaking of which: where is the order? Who df are they? How are we supposed to think they're mighty if they can't even access the realms without Gemma?? I don't get iiiiit
)
Nevertheless, I still enjoy this world, clearly that's why I kept going, I like the writing, ideas, setting and would like to know how it all ends and so I dread look forward to reading the last installment in the series....800+ pages....help
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laurenleigh's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional 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? It's complicated

4.5

If the first book in this series focused on feminism (or the need for it) in Victorian England, this sequel centers class politics in the time period. Of course both are intertwined, and the intersection of race is interestingly included here as well. One of our main character’s friends is from India, where she also spent most of her childhood, as part of the British Empire’s occupation. I’m curious to see how their relationship plays out in the next book of the series! I think I enjoyed the first book slightly more than this one, for the dark academia vibes, but Christmas time in London is a great Victorian setting as well. The other thing Bray does quite remarkably is to capture the intricacies of teenage female friendships. I had forgotten how much little daily dramas there were. Something I’m happy to have left behind! 😅
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zoemaleah's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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