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jojo_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement
Moderate: Death, Torture, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Bullying, Child abuse, Death of parent, and Abandonment
strange_little_ranger'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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Abandonment
Moderate: Animal death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Kidnapping
noorakorkka's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
One of my favourites now. Loved the main character and the ending. Hated how family treated her and how lonely her life had been. Also every time everything was beginning to go well something went wrong. The story rly kept me on my toes the whole time just waiting for the next blow.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Kidnapping
thereadingshelf's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Violence, and Blood
millennia's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
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? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Blood
sandy_21's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, and Kidnapping
Minor: Torture
emerald_skull's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I didn’t realize that it was based off of a Persian tale the the vocab can be confusing but there’s a dictionary in the back. It was a nice book but I wasn’t super into it. Definitely good for a simple read with twists.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Blood
rwalker101's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
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
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Torture, and Blood
nothingrhymeswithrachel's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- 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
5.0
I don’t know if this book is actually that good or if I just need to read more fantasy, but I am absolutely OBSESSED with this!! It was amazing, I was hooked on every second of this story. Amazing. Wonderful. Loved it.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Emotional abuse, Violence, and Blood
bluejayreads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I finished this book five days ago and am just now starting the review, which is an unusually long delay for me. But I'm having a really hard time figuring out what to say about this book. It's really, really good - set in a world based on ancient Persia, featuring a cursed princess and fascinating demons and just enough magic to be tantilizing without giving it a high fantasy feel. It was highly engaging and I enjoyed every minute of it.
What makes it hard to write a review is that the plot on the back cover wraps up about 40% into the book. It's a rare book that can put the major twist in before the halfway point and still make the story interesting, but this book pulls it off. And also makes it hard to review, because anything I say about the last 60% is going to be a spoiler.
This is one of those books you could easily analyze for a paper for school or discuss in a literature class. It has Important Themes of family loyalty (what do you owe your family if everything they've done has made your life worse?) and humanity versus monsterhood, centering around a cursed princess who believes her poisonous touch makes her more monster than human. But if you don't feel like digging that deep into it, you don't have to. In a surface read, it's a perfectly entertaining fantasy story with likeable characters and surprising twists.
Since it's so hard to talk about the story contained in this book without ruining the experience, I guess I'll just say this: Experience it for yourself. It's a great fairy tale, marvelously told, set in a richly imagined world of Persian royalty and demons who haunt the woods, resplendent with myths and monsters and unexpected surprises and featuring a protagonist who is as loveable as she is relatable. It's a very, very good book and needs to be experienced to understand just how good it is.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Blood, and Kidnapping