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dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Definitely my least favorite of the series. While I love Rosethorn, Briar, and Evvy as characters, adn love all their interactions, the "street kid 4 lyfe/rival gangs" subplot really doesn't do anything for me. I do think because it very explicitly not FOR me- I'm a white, lower middle class permanent suburbanite. I can't speak to any echoes of someone else's experience of life as to realism or appropriate amount of character motivation, I simply have no frame of reference for this world beyond other fiction.
To the positive, this villain is CHILLING. I will still have a physical reaction to some of her scenes as an adult. The build and final explosion of the climax saves the whole book for me- Briar unleashed definitely gives shades of Daine's "I got angry" moment in Emperor Mage.
To the positive, this villain is CHILLING. I will still have a physical reaction to some of her scenes as an adult. The build and final explosion of the climax saves the whole book for me- Briar unleashed definitely gives shades of Daine's "I got angry" moment in Emperor Mage.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping