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readingelli's review against another edition
It was good, well written. So well written that the gory bits were too gory for me and I couldn’t stomach it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Blood
Minor: Abandonment
Dismembermentb_robinson's review
not enjoyable, poorly executed, violent, and not what I was expecting with the gender non-conformity
sabrinaslivingliterature's review
2.0
Thank you to Net Galley for sending an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
For a book that describes itself as gender less to then go and refer to one group as "Carriers" for children and deny them any progression is so blatantly sexist, I wanted a book with no sexism and this did not deliver
For a book that describes itself as gender less to then go and refer to one group as "Carriers" for children and deny them any progression is so blatantly sexist, I wanted a book with no sexism and this did not deliver
claras_bookshelf's review
3.0
**I received an e-arc in return for an honest review**
This was an ambitious take on an epic YA fantasy series exploring gender fluidity with elements of Egyptian and Japanese culture being infused in the story. I'd originally even thought the book was an adult fantasy series rather than YA, due to its complex worldbuilding and how different it was!
Twins Kaori and Kairi are two sides to the same coin, two halves of a whole, and the only twins to be born to an island, foretold to be it's ruin. The premise of the story and the worldbuilding was intriguing, but the first section of the book did confuse me when I read it, mainly because the reader isn't slowly introduced to these elements, but rather, is thrown into the deep end.
Thankfully by the midpoint of the book, I was able to comprehend the situation and plots afoot, however there were certain choices made that I was a little disappointed by. For one, considering how genderfluid the characters are meant to be, they seem to be stuck within a fairly heteronormative society with homophobia clearly evident.
Even when Kairi forms their own society, he changes and creates new pronouns that further emphasise the gender differences, looking down on women and elevating men. I had hoped due to the genderfluid setting that this wouldn't have been something prevalent in the book, however I understand that Danns may have made this choice as a political commentary.
My rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
TL;DR: If you're looking for an atypical YA read, this might be the one for you.
Highlights: queer MCs/romances
This was an ambitious take on an epic YA fantasy series exploring gender fluidity with elements of Egyptian and Japanese culture being infused in the story. I'd originally even thought the book was an adult fantasy series rather than YA, due to its complex worldbuilding and how different it was!
Twins Kaori and Kairi are two sides to the same coin, two halves of a whole, and the only twins to be born to an island, foretold to be it's ruin. The premise of the story and the worldbuilding was intriguing, but the first section of the book did confuse me when I read it, mainly because the reader isn't slowly introduced to these elements, but rather, is thrown into the deep end.
Thankfully by the midpoint of the book, I was able to comprehend the situation and plots afoot, however there were certain choices made that I was a little disappointed by. For one, considering how genderfluid the characters are meant to be, they seem to be stuck within a fairly heteronormative society with homophobia clearly evident.
Even when Kairi forms their own society, he changes and creates new pronouns that further emphasise the gender differences, looking down on women and elevating men. I had hoped due to the genderfluid setting that this wouldn't have been something prevalent in the book, however I understand that Danns may have made this choice as a political commentary.
My rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
TL;DR: If you're looking for an atypical YA read, this might be the one for you.
Highlights: queer MCs/romances
competencefantasy's review
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
I liked it. Would have liked it more if I could figure out what was going on...
sarmckay's review
Honestly this was the most disjointed book I’ve read all year.
It’s supposed to be this great book about a non-binary, gender neutral society. But it almost immediately splits into “men” and “women” with an emphasis on reproduction and menstruation.
The pronouns (which would have been fine on their own) are similar to character names, place names, and slang words, which is confusing.
I DNF’d at the ritual sacrifice scene, which isn’t specially called out in the content warnings (the warnings just say violence). I don’t really want to read about intestines smacking against the floor and priests beheading the corpses
Like the characters Kairi and Kentaro can’t be together bc they can’t reproduce. Oh and mothers are referred to as “carriers”
It’s supposed to be this great book about a non-binary, gender neutral society. But it almost immediately splits into “men” and “women” with an emphasis on reproduction and menstruation.
The pronouns (which would have been fine on their own) are similar to character names, place names, and slang words, which is confusing.
I DNF’d at the ritual sacrifice scene, which isn’t specially called out in the content warnings (the warnings just say violence).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Body shaming, Gore, and Homophobia
Content warning for ritualistic sacrificelesbixan's review against another edition
misogyny wrapped up in gender neutral terms
emmacharlotte96's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
zionsadv's review
3.0
I wanted to love this book but it was so confusing & it’s not because of the neo-pronouns. It’s because of things like peoples names being similar and the island name being the same as the the neo-pronouns. I appreciate what this book was trying to do as a black trans* person who has used neo-pronouns and is often in community with people like myself. But, it didn’t feel very queer - it actually felt surprisingly cis normative. I think this was because of the emphasis on sex and I also found it strange there was no obvious intersex variations.
There were moments where the book was so interesting and I had to keep reading to know what happened next. It’s very fast paced which made it fascinating but didn’t help my understanding. I want to read this again to see if I can follow it better because I actually think the story is really good.
There were moments where the book was so interesting and I had to keep reading to know what happened next. It’s very fast paced which made it fascinating but didn’t help my understanding. I want to read this again to see if I can follow it better because I actually think the story is really good.