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grace_b_3's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This is a story with a lot of twists and turns, which did keep me turning pages, even if none of the twists were particularly surprising. This book felt a bit like a roller coaster in the sense that even if you know where it’s going, you’re still enjoying the ride.
I’d most recommend this to people who like the idea of book magic, and want something that leans towards dark academia, but is still a popcorn read.
Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Violence
leexpenandpages's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
After the death of their father, two sisters discover the world of magic is much bigger than he let on, and their blood—literal and figurative—is more valuable than they realized; meanwhile, the only known living Scribe of magical books learns that The Library houses more dark secrets than he'd thought.
🩸✒️📜✨️🪞👭👫🇬🇧🇺🇲
👍🏻 RECOMMENDATION:
💚 READ IT!
💬 FAVORITE QUOTES:
In Gil's world, women found themselves in mirrors. They became hypnotized and stared into their own eyes until they recognized themselves, and once they did, the mirror ceased to be a trap and became instead a doorway. An escape route. A path.
Cold was easier to bear when you’d never been warm.
(SPOILER)Stepping through the mirror was like [...] swimming if the water was made of treacle and also of outer space, sweet and airless and tugging and infinite, and dark in a way that wasn't a binary to light but rather a different state entirely, complete unto itself.
👓 FORMAT:
🎧
📑 COMMENTS:
• Törzs's attention to craft is undeniable. If you're looking for a dark academic book, the aesthetic conjured by the prose will live rent-free in your beautiful mind, and the magic system will delight you!
• Pacing is slow. (The beautiful descriptions contribute to it, unfortunately.) It's especially hindersome in the first part. Plus, the POV changes often needlessly worsen it throughout the story. Significant cutting during revision would've greatly improved this book.
• The story is intricate, but all the details, some cleary important and some that seem innocuous, come together in the end. That being said, the details sometimes drove me toward boredom. Again, this book could've been shorter, and it would've been even more captivating.
• Characters come from around the world, and their diversity does not come across as tokenship. For instance, one character mourns the heritage she'd lost when she lost a parent, so she learns Spanish to reconnect with her ancestry.
• Even when the characters themselves are a little flat, the characters' relationships (including romantic, platonic, and familial) are natural and believable. These relationships affect the story in complex, meaningful ways.
Graphic: Confinement, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Self harm, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
navayiota'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
5.0
I really, really enjoyed this story. The plot twists made complete sense and I felt proud of myself whenever I managed to see one coming, the characters are lovable, (I want to give all our protagonists a hug) and the descriptions of sensations were vivid and visceral. I loved every moment.
It was also a stunning portrayal of how people deal with trauma, especially trauma inflicted by one's primary caregivers. Excellent work!
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Chronic illness, Sexual content, Medical content, and Alcohol
Minor: Pregnancy
atamano'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? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Toxic relationship, Blood, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Grief and Murder
Minor: Gun violence and Abandonment
abicaro17's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
shlymiller's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
Minor: Gun violence
shannnne_reads_words's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Death, Violence, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Gun violence, Vomit, Kidnapping, and Murder
ethuiliel'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? No
5.0
The ending does leave me wanting more, but not in a "wait that's it?" sort of way. In some ways it's open ended about the future, but the arc of the story is resolved. I would love to see what happens next to these characters and this setting, but also the pieces that are open ended are fun to speculate on, not leaving me unsatisfied.
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Colonisation
I listed a lot of trigger warnings but I will say that I didn't find any of it to be treated in a problematic wayraginsagein'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: Blood
Moderate: Medical content
Minor: Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
scrubsandbooks'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: Death, Kidnapping, and Death of parent
Moderate: Gun violence and Injury/Injury detail