You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Scan barcode
bananathemuffin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
The attempts at foreshadowing and an unreliable narrator were certainly an attempt. Maybe it wasn't supposed to be a reveal and I'm getting worked up over nothing, but everyone is just so secretive throughout this book, and the ending was certainly written like it was supposed to be an "Aha!" moment. But it was so obvious from the very beginning who Lor is supposed to be, despite her claiming she has no clue what anyone is talking about.
Flat and predictable, the plot barrels on ahead despite the many many holes it has. Why must we hold trails for the choosing of the Sun Queen? Why must the trials be deadly? Why can't we just stick a bunch of women in front of the Mirror until it picks somebody? Nobody knows! That's just the way things are, DUH!!
And I don't think I've ever read a book where the FMC's POV is in first person, present tense, while the MMC's POV is third person, past tense. Certainly another choice on the author's part. I've read my fair share of books that swap between first and third person for the different characters' chapters, but shouldn't we be sticking to the same timely narrative? Unless we're looking at a flashback or something? I thought mayyybe the reveal would be that Nadir's chapters happened a long time ago and Lor is the only one in the present, but nope. Just sloppy writing. There's scene where their POVs are back to back of the same event, and it was still like that there as well. A narrator was recalling his side of the story, and Lor was telling us her side as it was happing. I found it jarring, to say the least.
Was this book the worst thing I've ever read? No absolutely not. Was it just a clash of the plots of SJM's entire writing collective and The Selection series? Absolutely yes. And do I have the next book sitting on my holds shelf? For now, but that's subject to change seeing as I have a projected several months wait. I may change my mind between now and then.
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Vomit, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
sarahhgrayy's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Blood, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
kpopfreak's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Sexual content and Violence
Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Grief, and Alcohol
Minor: Vomit, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, and War
hjb_128's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Death, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Rape, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment
sh543's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Rape
thebookwhale's review against another edition
3.0
Not horrible, but not excellent either.
The storyline and plot is interesting, but the writing...
Lor, the FMC, lacks A LOT. I can't really described what exactly it is, but something was amiss. Her character didn't feel complete.
Also, the world building was really shallow. Who or what is Zerra? Presumably a god or something, but I would need an explanation of that. In general, the world was missing a lot of details, and that made it hard for me to truly enjoy the book, since it left me with a lot of questions.
The spicy scenes felt out of place and random, and the affection of the Sun King from the very beginning as well.
I will read the second book though, as I still want to know how everything works out in the end.
Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Death, and Blood
Moderate: Sexual content, Violence, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, and Alcohol
kemikemi's review against another edition
- 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? No
3.5
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Murder, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Body horror, Rape, and Alcohol
karapillar's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Misogyny and Vomit
xapoptosisx's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Confinement, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Blood, Death of parent, and Alcohol
booksalacarte's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Homophobia, Rape, and Sexual assault