wardenred'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
3.0
Change was coming. Touraine aimed to be on the right side of it.
I'm afraid this is one of those times when I've built up really high expectations for a book in my head, and then the book and I just didn't click. There were definitely parts of it that I liked; in particular, I was impressed by the vivid, visceral portrayal of colonialism and all the varied harm it can bring. I liked some of the relationships among the Sands. The prose and the pacing both flowed really well for the most part. There were a lot of interesting worldbuilding elements.
Unfortunately, the main characters just... weren't my cup of tea. Both Touraine and Luca made so many downright stupid choices, it was hard to understand how either of them had survived long enough to begin the plot in their respective positions. Touraine's entire personality seemed to be at odds with the role she was in. She literally gets praised by a friend for thinking before she acts, but the fact is, most of the time she very much doesn't. And Luca so clearly lacked the knowledge and understanding of all things political, which was odd considering the way she was brought up. That just kept taking me out of the story.
Also, the romantic storyline that I expected to be one of the main draws was probably my least favorite aspect of the book. Given the premise and how thoroughly colonialism was explored in other parts of the story, I expected the romance to be more explicitly/genuinely enemies-to-lovers, with higher-stakes conflict, and with an equally thorough examining of the oppressor/coloniser dynamic and its inherent toxicity, hopefully with both leads recognizing the toxicity. Instead, all too often it fell into the usual romanticized tropes with little self-awareness.
Overall, lots of mixed feelings. Perhaps I would have enjoyed the story more if it was about the same world and events, but with different characters?
Graphic: Death, Ableism, Violence, Colonisation, and Slavery
Moderate: War, Torture, and Confinement
Minor: Death
khakipantsofsex's review
- Strong character development? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Violence, Colonisation, Racism, and Death
Moderate: Ableism and Rape
eagoldberg'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: Gore, Racism, Torture, Blood, Classism, Physical abuse, Death, Colonisation, Bullying, Violence, and Xenophobia
Minor: Cannibalism, Sexual harassment, Religious bigotry, and Ableism
talonsontypewriters'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
3.5
Graphic: Classism, Blood, Grief, Slavery, Gun violence, Police brutality, Xenophobia, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Racism, War, Death, Confinement, Murder, and Gore
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Medical content, Chronic illness, Pandemic/Epidemic, Fire/Fire injury, Religious bigotry, Child abuse, Sexual harassment, Ableism, Kidnapping, Trafficking, and Torture
Minor: Animal death, Vomit, Alcohol, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Rape
Execution by hanging. Power imbalance in relationship (representative of colonizing government/colonized subject).readyfreddie's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
it is raw with emotions ranging from rage and fear and pain to hope and love. the characters are complex and flawed and the book doesn’t shy away from showing them at their worst.
the amount of times i went “holy shit!” out loud while reading this is unreal ajfkdjf. my jaw stayed fucking dropped for the last 50 pages or so.
Graphic: War, Colonisation, and Death
Moderate: Ableism, Gore, Racism, and Violence
plume_de_renarde'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: Death, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, and Colonisation
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, and Ableism
Minor: Sexual assault, Animal death, and Child abuse
ryankaybee's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Ableism, Colonisation, Gore, Grief, Blood, Body horror, Gun violence, Death, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and War
leanne_miron'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? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Colonisation, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Violence
Moderate: Grief, Chronic illness, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, and Ableism
Minor: Sexual assault
lbelow'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? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Racial slurs, Violence, Torture, Racism, Hate crime, Colonisation, Terminal illness, Death, and Blood
Moderate: Child abuse, Ableism, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Kidnapping, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
btrz7's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Child death, Colonisation, Child abuse, Death, Violence, War, Ableism, Blood, Xenophobia, Genocide, Hate crime, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual assault and Rape