major_tom'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? No
2.75
At first, I was afraid the lore would be too confusing - I am not very familiar with space-related fiction and never had much interest in it. Here, the story started straight away - I liked how we discovered things along the way, without long and boring history lessons. Each chapter has a short passage before it, which could be a letter, a quote, or other short piece that gave more insight into the world. I love good exposition and, I’m my opinion, Linden A. Lewis here did a great job.
The main character are interesting, flawed and have their own priorities and desires. There are some flaws, but I’ll talk about them later.
I loved how unique this world is. It really stands out with how logical historical development of each nation is.
Spoiler
Why the religion is the way it is, or why there is no AI anymore.However, I got quite disappointed by the end. The ending felt rushed, used mostly explanation rather than exposure, and gave a bit of flat character development. I saw how some things before could be linked to the plot twists, but still it wasn’t satisfactory. I felt that the ending was made that way to create reason for the next book. I am afraid that the next books will turn to obvious conflicts and will greatly worsen in world-building. In my opinion, the book by itself is great as stand-alone (if the ending was changed). I hope I’m wrong, because I still enjoyed it most of the way.
Graphic: Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Body horror, Bullying, Blood, Emotional abuse, Violence, Racism, War, and Slavery
brukneem'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
4.0
Moderate: Gore, Body horror, Racism, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Confinement, Colonisation, Gaslighting, War, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual harassment, and Torture
booksthatburn'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: Death, Bullying, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Transphobia, Murder, Physical abuse, Medical content, Racism, Violence, Body horror, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Dysphoria, Ableism, Colonisation, Medical trauma, Sexual content, War, and Xenophobia
Minor: Rape, Vomit, and Self harm
salemander's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Medical trauma, Sexual assault, Torture, Death, Colonisation, Slavery, War, and Body horror
jamielikestoread'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
4.5
Graphic: Body horror, Racism, and War
Moderate: Colonisation and Dysphoria
Minor: Terminal illness
dariusmortee'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
I am very intrigued with this story and am looking forward to the rest of it. The characters are interesting and the premise of the book gives even a bit of dystopian that we all love from books like the Hunger Games.
Graphic: Body horror
rtaire's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Classism, Medical trauma, Violence, War, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Misogyny
Minor: Transphobia
lanid's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Moderate: Ableism, Dysphoria, Medical trauma, Racism, Terminal illness, War, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Bullying, Classism, Death, Gun violence, Medical content, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Torture, and Body horror
kaylamoran'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
4.5
Graphic: Blood, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Torture, Body horror, Confinement, Gaslighting, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Xenophobia, War, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Racism, Vomit, Transphobia, and Murder
almost_literate's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Moderate: Body horror