shadow_cat94's review against another edition

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

5.0

I DEVOURED THIS BOOK!

The story was riveting, the characters are engaging, and the world building is constant. Rachel Gillig has a wonderful way with words that just made me want to cling to every sentence as I turned through the pages.

Character development isn't really a thing that happens in this book it's more about character revelations as we get to see the people behind their masks - their real motivations rather than the MC's preconceptions. However, this approach makes it feel like it's the Nightmare's story and Elspeth is the POV character as she is the only constant character that does not change while we follow her around. It's interesting and different.

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chanlo1994's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional tense medium-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

5.0

What a refreshing read.
I'm so glad the author avoided very classic tropes, such as "you lied to me, and now that I know your deep dark secret, you're dead to me ".
Concepts such as understanding and forgiveness within a relationship makes this an enjoyable read, especially with the world building and magic system used. And Raven makes me swoon.... lol
I also really liked the different examples on the theme of consent, as most of them are not related to sex. Body autonomy, yes absolutely, but not sex. It examplifies that sex is not the only time where consent is needed.
Also, the writing is so beautiful??? Both the poetry and the narration. It's why I gave it a full 5 stars.

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kai256's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense fast-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? It's complicated

4.5


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sxndaze's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

a stunning debut fantasy with a fascinating magic system. it kept me hooked even from the beginning, and the dynamic between elspeth and the nightmare is one i love. 

looking forward to reading book two!

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bethann_coleates's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-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


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nixieba25f's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0


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jkmh's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

goosebumps. 🗡️ long live the king.

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crinkledmochi's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

VIBES!!!! 
Gothic, mystical, yet darkly cozy. 

the romance was cute but definitely needed more fleshing out as everything happened within the span of a couple weeks. 

the worldbuilding! yes ma’am, I hope that in the next book the world kinda opens up a bit more but with the way this book ended I don’t think we’re going very far. 

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randirush's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-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

4.5

hiiiii i need to read the second book RN 

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scarlett_librarian's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5


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