naackles

This… was honestly just bad all around. It is absolutely not a lighthearted murder mystery and there is barely a mystery buried in all the other infuriating content. Please make note of the content warnings before reading this.

the main character is so goddamn infuriating the whole time. She bumbles around consistently being useless and then gets upset when people tell her. The fact that she demands to be taught what is happening when the doctor is actively trying to conduct surgery is astounding. The whole mystery is honestly upsetting and disturbing. If I had gone in expecting a dark thriller maybe I’d be less upset about the suicide, forced incest, and just downright evilness of Susan which is treated with far less gravity than I felt it merited.

This book was a super fun quick read. It had everything, history, simmering sexual tension, and subtle teases of magic. I enjoyed that the author didn't suddenly make everything about magic and though the main character ended up as ‘the chosen one' at least it wasn't annoying about it. But plz after all that teasing I wish we had gotten a little more of an epilogue

The idea and world building of this book was great, but I feel like barely anything happens? Like a third of the book is Emmett remembering his binding... and then like, hardly anything happens? There is no punishment for the truly vile man that Lucian's father is, and zero character development? Idk, I feel like this could have been a duology or a trilogy where emmet learns to use his binding for good and abolish the disgusting use of it by the upper class while taking down Lucian's awful father. 3 stars for a super cool concept and decent writing but the plot is honestly more like 2

edit: jk I dropped it down to a two bc in retrospect it was just a complete mess

The first book in this series is the first book in over five years that I've picked up and read from start to finish in one sitting. This book was all I every could have hoped for and more in terms of a wrap up. It's been so long since I've found myself so emotionally invested. Not only did I cry but I gasped aloud multiple times which isn't something I do often. This was such a perfect blend of folklore, fantasy, and history. I'm so excited to read the entire series over again

It was okay, but I didn't like it nearly as much as I thought I would. The new Holmes-Watson generation thing was interesting, but I feel like it will get old quickly. The case/mystery was just so wild and over the top that it made the book feel hokey? The copious amount of injectable drug references had me cringing the entire book

Have you ever picked up a book and just known it was going to change your life? That might be a little bit dramatic, but that's how I felt when I got this book from the library. I don't even know where to begin, this book was everything. Tess is so endearing and broken and flawed, but you can't help loving her instantly. Her journey is slow and not a lot happens, but at the same time SO much happens. Being able to trace her path of healing and self-discovery is so so moving. Am I crying while writing this review? Maybe. The discussion of self-guilt brought on by the abuse and expectations of religion and family is so profound. Idk what else to say but if you are looking for a heartwarming book set in a well-developed world with a little bit of fantasy and a whole lotta heart please read this freaking book.