stitchof'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
5.0
Graphic: Abortion, Alcohol, Colonisation, Drug abuse, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Rape, Alcoholism, Animal death, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Infertility, Pandemic/Epidemic, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide attempt, Torture, Xenophobia, Child abuse, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Drug use, Religious bigotry, Toxic friendship, War, Abandonment, Addiction, Blood, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Violence, Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Genocide, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual assault, Child death, Mass/school shootings, Medical content, and Suicide
nicole_schmid's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
That, however, was not the case. The book starts going and basically never stops. The school? Only relevant in the first third. The war? More detailled than you might have expected or wanted. Seriously.
But this quick pace comes at a risk: I never really got to know the main side characters. I knew their names enough to recognise them and they all had neat little archetypes to fall into like "bookish nerd who's BFF with the protagonist, but doesn't believe in magic" and "mean girl who wants to impress the guy" and "rich kid who cannot believe this audacious peasant (who is better than him)", but nothing beyond that.
Spoiler
This makes it hard to care when they are all killed off - presumably. I was impressed when Kuang built up Rin and Nezha into this unstoppable duo holding back an entire army by themselves until the general himself arrives to take care of the problem. They are this amazing pair and they finally buried the hatched and war is more important than personal grievances and - wait, Nezha is dead?! That really suprised and gutsy and it impressed me. However, when it later on turns out that he survived not only the crippling wound, but that he healed without an issue... Disappointing, but okay. Makes sense that the most powerful family might have an ace up their sleeve in the form of (hinted at) healing through shamanism. Then, however, she pulls the exact same thing with the nerd friend... I just hope that Altan does not make a miraculous recovery, even though I liked him.I did like it when Nezha started to grow out of his "school rival" category by apologizing, and I think Rin is an idiot for not doing the same. But just then, he "died" again, so let's see...
It'll also be interesting to meet the surviving schoolmates again in the next book and see how war and trauma has changed them, especially Kitay.
So, the school arc is a bit rushed without really giving the characters room to develop. The other two thirds are a complete tonal shift.
Spoiler
Which makes sense, given that it's war, but that was a bit too much. We go from this lighthearted story of admiring Altan and wondering if Rin will beat spoilt brat Nezha with his fancy and ineffective martial arts with a few sprinkles of criticism against classism thrown in, to pre-mediated, cold-blooded, main-character-enacted genocide. Not to mention the account of horrendously detailed rape of, if "only" that was not bad enough, little girls. You can see how there might be some slight tonal differences, right?There were also times I disagreed with the decision a character came to or how it was framed, though I understand the reasons behind it. Without going into the later thirds,
Spoiler
what comes to mind is Rin's first period. It does make sense for her to "eliminate" the problem, and it also makes sense for the doctor to okay and even speak out positively for the option of infertility, but she's only just had her first period. She's suddenly bleeding and in what appears to be terrible pain and hears that she has to suffer through this for decades to come. Of course she would jump on the chance! And I would be all for it if it was a rational choice she made after getting some more information and considering it. But she's a distraught teenager who just had the most painful week of her life. Any professional doctor would consider waiting at least a few months. Maybe her period pains would become almost negligible after the first few months. Maybe she would change her mind after thinking about it a bit longer. Maybe wait until she's no longer as vulnerable and helpless. Maybe inform her of the possible side effects besides "the worst pain you've ever felt"? Correct me if I'm crazy, but to me, it sounds like that medicine could be incredibly dangerous to that pesky thing called "life"...?So, to cut my rambling short, I understand why she would choose this option so quickly. The doctor, of course, wants to rid women of those ridiculous "femaleness" so that they can be more man-like soldiers. But just because I understand it, does not mean I did not wish for a more detailed commentary or some comment about how utterly fucked up the doctor/system is for preying on ignorant girls and pressuring them into a choice with long-lasting consequences they should at least spare (and be given the time to spare) a second thought to before actually committing to it.
But overall, I was blown away by this story. The worldbuilding was intriguing, the twist at the end (though a bit predictable and partly revealed much too early in the POV chapter of Altan's boss) leaves the ending open for a sequel, the further progression of the story seems clear. War here is not depicted as a quick and easy way to gain power and recognition and, if you die, at least ever-lasting glory, nor as some higher-ups sending out numbers and discussing strategies, but it is actually depicted as the cruel thing it is, especially when it shows the helpless civilians who are too poor to flee and are left to become causalities in a war that has nothing to do with them.
Spoiler
As would be the case if the enemy army... I hesitate to call them cartoonishly evil with their complete disregard of civilians and the unspeakable tortures committed against them in the city that was supposed to be the war capital, because, well... unfortunately, there are way too many real-life examples...Spoiler
She does seem to think that her genocide was wrong, though it was, of course, "necessary" and "do unto others as they do unto you" and the other members of Altan's squad all seem to agree with her, but at least our trustworthy nerd BFF has told us that her genocide was objectively wrong on all accounts, so I refuse to lose hope!However, I must strongly warn you that this book is not for the faint of heart. Please take the trigger warnings in the corresponding section extremely seriously. They are not (yet, hopefully) dealt with in the nuanced and understanding tone that they should be by virtue of happening at the end of the book or not having happened to the main characters, so proceed with care!
Graphic: Vomit, War, Violence, Blood, Child death, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Xenophobia, Addiction, Genocide, and Torture
Moderate: Alcoholism, Classism, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicide, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, and Rape
rlanr'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
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Blood, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Grief, Mental illness, Violence, War, Death, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Cursing, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, and Physical abuse
violaceae's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Xenophobia, War, Violence, Addiction, Alcohol, Blood, Bullying, Colonisation, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic friendship, Vomit, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Sexual content, Child death, Child abuse, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Misogyny
Minor: Abortion, Alcoholism, Trafficking, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Sexual harassment, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Miscarriage, Medical trauma, Infidelity, Hate crime, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Eating disorder, Death of parent, and Chronic illness
_katie_reads_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Blood, Colonisation, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Self harm, and Violence
wrenxavier'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
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Hate crime, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Violence, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Misogyny, and Sexism
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, Bullying, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Forced institutionalization, Infertility, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Trafficking, Vomit, and Xenophobia
nerdybirdy101's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Medical content, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, and Vomit
rbookish'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? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Infertility, Medical content, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
victorianrogue's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Vomit, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Racism, and Suicidal thoughts
librariesoflindsey's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The one thing I would say is to take the trigger warnings seriously. Every single tw I can think of applies to this book in gruesome, graphic ways, so just beware of this before reading.
Graphic: Genocide, Gore, Grief, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Self harm, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, and Infertility
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Eating disorder, Grief, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, and Torture
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Body shaming
This book contains very graphic triggers. Please be mindful of the trigger warnings and age recommendation (I would say 17+). Reader discretion is advised.