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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
terranstorm'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I absolutely ate this up. For years I'd heard that book 1 was confusing and book 2 was when it got really good & worth getting to, so I'm surprised that I absolutely didn't feel that confusion at all. Yes, there are a few more POV characters than I initially expected, but I found that it built gradually-enough, AND gave me reasons right away to be curious about and invested in each of them. (Katherine maybe the least, but by the second meeting when Will was mysteriously there helping her for no reason, oh damn, I KNEW there was something off about it! In a thrilling, mysterious way, not a confusing way.
Anyway, absolutely ate this for breakfast. I'll probably reassess that rating and decide if it's high enough but later. I'm impatient now to start book 2.
Anyway, absolutely ate this for breakfast. I'll probably reassess that rating and decide if it's high enough but later. I'm impatient now to start book 2.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Animal death, Slavery, Grief, and Death of parent
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
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
drasticpear's review against another edition
emotional
tense
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Everything faded, this world insignificant; James was the only real thing in it. You, you you. James's extraordinary beauty pressed in like a knife; it hurt.
Fuck me this was good. The characters are all interesting and loveable. I love Will & Violet's friendship. The fuckin twist! The goddamn ending! God!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Confinement, and Death of parent
Minor: Torture
k8buysrum's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
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
4.5
The story was so good, it just took a little while to get it going. There’s quite the lull of world building information in the early to middle section that was a little dull. But the main characters are great. The unfolding of information and plot is great. I leave the first book all twisted up inside for how things may go in the second. I’m looking forward to reading it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Genocide, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Animal death, Confinement, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, and Classism
blewballoon's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I'm not sure how to rate this because I didn't really have any strong feelings about the book. I had mostly a bland reading experience. Apart from maybe Violet, I didn't feel attached to any of the characters, and that made it harder to care what was going on with them. It felt like I was just skimming the surface level of plot and characters for the most part.
The writing style reminded me of Sabriel by Garth Nix, which is nice, but that style doesn't help when the text is fairly repetitive and the book is mostly predictable.There are several twists towards the very end, but if you know there is a twist and you try at all to predict what it is, you will probably figure them all out long before the characters do. I didn't feel like any of the twists improved my opinion of the book or gave me that "oh I want to re-read now that I know the twist!" type feeling that would re-contextualize the story, and they didn't make me excited for a sequel. It's more that the whole first 90% of the book feels like it was just filler.
I'm trying not to be too harsh, but there really isn't much I liked, despite wanting to like it and having high hopes for it. It has elements that sort of reminded me of other books I do like, but as if I only got the seltzer drink wisp of flavor of the real fruit. I don't even mind when stories are predictable and characters are a bit cliche as long as the book is still immersive and fun to read, but I didn't have much fun with this. I didn't hate it, though. For me, the book was a lot of death and dullness, and it's the combination of sad/bored that risks putting me into a reading slump if I don't find something good to snap me out of it. I will say the audiobook narrator is very good, but I kept speeding the poor man up (I think I finished on 1.6 speed) because I wanted it to be over.
The writing style reminded me of Sabriel by Garth Nix, which is nice, but that style doesn't help when the text is fairly repetitive and the book is mostly predictable.
I'm trying not to be too harsh, but there really isn't much I liked, despite wanting to like it and having high hopes for it. It has elements that sort of reminded me of other books I do like, but as if I only got the seltzer drink wisp of flavor of the real fruit. I don't even mind when stories are predictable and characters are a bit cliche as long as the book is still immersive and fun to read, but I didn't have much fun with this. I didn't hate it, though. For me, the book was a lot of death and dullness, and it's the combination of sad/bored that risks putting me into a reading slump if I don't find something good to snap me out of it. I will say the audiobook narrator is very good, but I kept speeding the poor man up (I think I finished on 1.6 speed) because I wanted it to be over.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Confinement, Torture, Death of parent, and War
Minor: Body horror and Child death
emilia777's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
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
4.0
a little less cyprian a little more james
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Confinement, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Slavery, and War
cait's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
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
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Racism, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
diana_raquel's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
4.75
“I think what people were is less important than what they are. And what people are is less important than what they could be.”
[Moment of fangirling: WHAT WAS THAT ENDING???? ALSO, PACAT, JAMES AND WILL BETTER BE ENDGAME!!]
Look, its very simple: everything Pacat writes, I read! I love every single book! This book is filled with mystery, intrigue and truly unexpected plot-twists. It also has a well-structured plot and well-developed characters. It has everything to be a favorite of mine! And it is! I loved it!
I can't wait for Dark Heir. Totally recommend!
[Moment of fangirling: WHAT WAS THAT ENDING???? ALSO, PACAT, JAMES AND WILL BETTER BE ENDGAME!!]
Look, its very simple: everything Pacat writes, I read! I love every single book! This book is filled with mystery, intrigue and truly unexpected plot-twists. It also has a well-structured plot and well-developed characters. It has everything to be a favorite of mine! And it is! I loved it!
I can't wait for Dark Heir. Totally recommend!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Genocide, Violence, Death of parent, and War