You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Scan barcode
capriqueen's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- 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
Oh boy what a ride. A very compelling story, I was hooked the whole time. The mystery and the magic were well done, and the characters both captured and broke my heart. I really didn’t see the plot twists coming, but I did eventually figure out the last one toward the end. The final plot twist does make the story feel a little muddled now, and I’m not sure what the new end goal is, but I’m excited to find out
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Animal death, Death of parent, and War
hollylayne22's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Animal death, Death, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
nightshaderoots's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
Characters- 5
Each character had growth and depth to them. They all had their own goals and aspirations outside of not only the main character but their shared goals. Not only that but everyone interacted with each other in a way that made sense for each relationship. You grew with Will and Violet’s friendship so their bond was able to feel more concrete throughout the story. You were able to get into the characters’ heads which made their actions down the line more believable. Because of this it made it easier to relate to certain characters and feel as if their dreams and goals were your own. You rooted for each victory and felt upset at each loss.
Enjoyment- 5
Overall this was a fun read. I would reread it to see the build up with the knowledge I had of what happens in the end. The characters and world was refreshing to read about and nothing ever felt too forced. I was never pushed to the point of frustration with pacing or cliffhangers so it was a steady read. It was enough fantasy where it could be enjoyed by someone who doesn’t read the genre often and enough to keep someone who does stay engaged.
Messages- 5
What I took away from the book was that you are more than who you were and are. The characters were often tied with their identities and destinies and depending on who it was they either defied it or embraced it. Another one being that memory is both a blessing and a curse. It can plague the mind or be comforting as it gets passed down. Another theme that I noticed that was consistent with the book was that there is no solely good or solely evil. Everything had a grey area whether that be the systems in the world or the characters themselves. The author did a good job showcasing all the different aspects and perspectives within the book’s elements.
Plot- 5
There was never a point where I was pushed to frustration with the pacing of the book. The cliffhangers felt right where it was used and didn’t just feel like it was used just for dramatic effect. The only reason why it took me a little longer in the beginning versus the end of the book was because I just started getting back into reading so I had to build up my stamina for a little while. The plot was consistent even if it wasn’t always focused on it. Even though the story was broken down into different perspectives it still centered around the main plot in their own special ways.
Emotional impact- 5
Because these were kids being thrown into a world they didn’t fully understand it was easy to put myself in their shoes. Their fears felt as if it was my own due to the author’s way of describing not only the character’s response to it but the surroundings as well. The author showed the horrors of war in a way that felt real and not just killing characters just for a shock factor solely. The scenes were laid out so that there was tension and suspense not just thrown haphazardly in there. It made sense for the context surrounding it.
Worldbuilding- 5
I will not lie, in the beginning I was a bit lost in world building mostly because I was not familiar with boats and life in 1820’s London. However this was overlooked due to the natural and easy going way the author showcased the Old World and its rules and lore. It was spread throughout the book in digestible pieces that made it easier to immerse myself into the book. The world was consistent and felt lived in, not something just created for the book to talk about. The characters felt like they belonged in the world and it all melted together well. What I also appreciated was that the stories and what the characters knew about the world was slowly introduced throughout the book and not just info dumped. Each time a story was mentioned another element was added or how it was viewed was changed making it not feel repetitive.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gore, Physical abuse, Torture, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Racism, Alcohol, and Colonisation
Minor: Vomit
skillyillian's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- 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
4.5
It would be five stars but it feels like it takes simply forever for anything to really get going. But otherwise, oh my god. Oh my god. Fuck. Literally immediately got the next one and started it less than five minutes after finishing dark rise. God help me
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual content
xandra1412's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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: Confinement, Death, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Torture, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Grief, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Gun violence, Misogyny, Alcohol, and Classism
_bookbug's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
4.25
Even though pacats writing is lacking here and there, if there is one thing she can do, it is enemies to lovers tension
I just loved the unreliable narrative, it had me GASPING
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Blood
Moderate: Slavery and Death of parent
Minor: Animal death, Sexual violence, and War
megan_smalls's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- 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
I loved this book; it might be my favorite read of the year. It's such a beautifully written story with many moving parts and characters. The fantasy world is well thought out and described. Diverse character set and in passing queer romances without bigotry/hate language surrounding said romances. Held true to the YA fantasy genre with just brief romantic elements/mentions without it taking the focus from the main plotline. While the twist was predictable, it was so well-written that it didn't matter that there was predictability. A bit of narrator unreliability added depth to the story and was helpful as a reader to learn the magical/fantastical world alongside the MMC. While I would tag content warnings for this book, it was no worse than the big names within the YA genre with war/violent elements (Hunger Games, PJO, Cruel Prince, etc.).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and War
Minor: Death, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
emmmalibrary's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Ce livre a été sélectionné comme lecture commune pour notre bookclub à Reims et honnêtement je suis bien contente de l’avoir sorti de ma PAL 🥰
Le rythme de l’histoire ici est vraiment bien rythmé, c’est ni trop long, ni trop rapide. L’autrice sait capter notre attention tout du long des chapitres alors que ceux-ci sont quand même assez long, mais le temps passe vraiment bien. Par ailleurs, tout du long l’autrice nous fait croire quelque chose mais il s’avère qu’un plot twist que je n’ai pas vu venir s’immisce à travers les pages et finalement tout ce qu’on pensait être vrai s’avère finalement être faux. J’ai trouvé ça dingue parce qu’à aucun instant je m’attendais à ce dénouement et c’est ce qui a fait que j’ai vraiment beaucoup aimé ce livre. De plus le world building est vraiment très bien construit et j’adore ça 😍
Pour parler des personnages ils sont tous très interessant, que ce soit Will, Violet ou Cyprian. J’ai bien aimé être dans la tête de chacun d’eux même si Cyprian n’a pas trop eu de lumière sur lui. Mais à travers le point de vue des deux autres on arrive à cerner le personnage qu’on déteste mais qu’on fini finalement par aimé. James m’intrigue aussi pas mal et j’ai hâte de savoir ce qu’il adviendra de lui par la suite.
Suite à cette fin j’ai qu’une hâte c’est de lire le tome 2 (qui prend un tout autre sens maintenant). Tout est possible désormais et j’ai très envie de savoir quel chemin l’autrice a décidé de suivre.
Vous l’aurez donc compris j’ai apprécié fortement cette lecture que je recommande 🤎
Le rythme de l’histoire ici est vraiment bien rythmé, c’est ni trop long, ni trop rapide. L’autrice sait capter notre attention tout du long des chapitres alors que ceux-ci sont quand même assez long, mais le temps passe vraiment bien. Par ailleurs, tout du long l’autrice nous fait croire quelque chose mais il s’avère qu’un plot twist que je n’ai pas vu venir s’immisce à travers les pages et finalement tout ce qu’on pensait être vrai s’avère finalement être faux. J’ai trouvé ça dingue parce qu’à aucun instant je m’attendais à ce dénouement et c’est ce qui a fait que j’ai vraiment beaucoup aimé ce livre. De plus le world building est vraiment très bien construit et j’adore ça 😍
Pour parler des personnages ils sont tous très interessant, que ce soit Will, Violet ou Cyprian. J’ai bien aimé être dans la tête de chacun d’eux même si Cyprian n’a pas trop eu de lumière sur lui. Mais à travers le point de vue des deux autres on arrive à cerner le personnage qu’on déteste mais qu’on fini finalement par aimé. James m’intrigue aussi pas mal et j’ai hâte de savoir ce qu’il adviendra de lui par la suite.
Suite à cette fin j’ai qu’une hâte c’est de lire le tome 2 (qui prend un tout autre sens maintenant). Tout est possible désormais et j’ai très envie de savoir quel chemin l’autrice a décidé de suivre.
Vous l’aurez donc compris j’ai apprécié fortement cette lecture que je recommande 🤎
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Blood, and War
Minor: Vomit
redpollrory's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Toxic relationship, Grief, and War
Minor: Emotional abuse, Slavery, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Colonisation, and Classism
myahthebookfiend's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- 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
3.5
3.5 stars. I was going back and forth between 3 and 4 stars, so 3.5 it is.
The beginning was slow. Slow enough that I wasn't sure I wanted to keep reading. I did, though, which I'm glad for. The book kept me well enough entertained, but I was bored with some parts. I think what boosts my rating of it was the ending. Talk about a twist. Super interesting plot idea, and I'm overall glad I read it.
The beginning was slow. Slow enough that I wasn't sure I wanted to keep reading. I did, though, which I'm glad for. The book kept me well enough entertained, but I was bored with some parts. I think what boosts my rating of it was the ending. Talk about a twist. Super interesting plot idea, and I'm overall glad I read it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Torture, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, and War