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linhsreadinghour'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
4.75
I never knew Fonda was going to take the story and I enjoyed watching it all unfold. I had 0 predictions and was emotionally distraught over several part of the book. I shouted in disbelief twice, jaw hung open in several moments, and cried at the last 100 pages 😭
Knocked off 0.25 because of the massive time skips. I need it slapped in the page how much time has passed because I can’t do maths. This book spans over 3 years I believe?
Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Grief, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Sexual content, Suicide, Medical content, Abortion, and Pregnancy
Minor: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Rape, and Sexual assault
lunep'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
5.0
Also because my last review was long but focused on what I didn't like, I want to give more depth to my positive reviews so I'm gonna make a couple positive comments about what stayed with me the most:
- This book made me absolutely adore Wen. She didn't have too much screen time in the first, and her character at the beggining was clouded by Shae's view of her, so I loved getting to see more of her this book, and what we saw of her. I loved how she was there for Shae when Shae went trough rough patches, and how both of them helped each other and truly became friends and sisters. I loved how she wasn't scared of doing whatever she could to help her clan, and how she knew what her strenghts were and played to them. She's just amazing
and I hope she gets better on book 3, I was seriously so scared at the end of the book when she, Anden, and Rohn Toro got attacked, I was literally screaming at my ipad - I also loved Anden's growth, he was already one of my favorite characters from book 1, and I felt so much for him at the end of it and at the beggining of this one, but I'm glad to see he grew onto himself more fully. He's my baby
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gore, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Rape, Suicide, Xenophobia, Medical content, and Abortion
Minor: Ableism, Addiction, Animal death, Cancer, Child death, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Excrement, and Vomit
sarah984'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
5.0
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Drug use, Gore, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual content, Torture, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Abortion, Pregnancy, and War
Minor: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Chronic illness, Fatphobia, Genocide, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Rape, Suicide, Excrement, Vomit, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and Classism
jakepasseri'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
4.75
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Abortion, and Colonisation
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Self harm, and Sexual content
ripxreads'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 and Violence
Moderate: Drug abuse and Suicide
Minor: Racism and Abortion
thewordsdevourer'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? No
4.75
lee delves even deeper into the world of her story by expanding its scope through looking beyond kekon and examining all the intricacies and complex interconnected politics + history of the world she's created. the worldbuilding is starkly vivid, each country and their relationships w/ one another so distinct, realistic, and infuriatingly and familiarly mirrors our world.
the kauls continue to go through a whole lotta shit; there's a lot of ups and downs here but they do their best. never have i ever seen such a strong, complex fictional family and felt so much for their plight. there are certain points in the novel that just made me stop and go, "bruh this shit rly just went there." what i also rly appreciate is how they arent perfect at all; sometimes one can see their decisions' terrible consequences from a mile away, though theyre understandable and even inevitable.
the politicking and scheming, as always, continue to be one of the best things abt this series. idk if it's bc of lee's corporate strategist background, but the diplomatic, furtive, subtle ways the characters talk and act are enjoyably interesting, all imbued w/ an undercurrent msg or tension. i feel smarter reading abt how the characters talk and think lol.
what i most enjoy abt this book, however, is the nuanced, complex exploration of its themes that are hugely relevant in the real world not just on a personal, individual level but also historically and politically, esp how infuriating yts are, how countries and ppl arent black-and-white, diasporas, and how national sentiment borne from traumatic history can get entangled in more immediate, complicated current int'l relations and priorities. lee explores them all w/ gusto and a deft hand, offering persuasive arguments for both sides yet never talking down to the reader. also, reading this in 2022 feels like the book prophesized a lottt of things.
my only major caveat w/ the novel is how a lot of the kauls' scheming amounts to too little - like, all that for nothing compared to the mountain? nevertheless, this is an engrossing, dark, violent, complex, thrilling, and emotionally brutal book, one of a few that can easily make me scream, spooked, tear up, and stressed, and whose sequel i cant wait to devour.
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Racism, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual content, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Addiction, Drug use, Rape, Sexism, Suicide, and War
horizonous'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
3.25
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Xenophobia, Grief, and Murder
Minor: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Rape, Self harm, Kidnapping, and Abortion
◦ Death = Brother, Grandparentdoodeedoda'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
4.75
Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Misogyny, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Murder, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Abortion, Pregnancy, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Addiction, Biphobia, Cursing, Infidelity, Blood, Vomit, Cultural appropriation, and Alcohol
talonsontypewriters'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: Addiction, Death, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide, Kidnapping, Abortion, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Colonisation
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, Cancer, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Rape, Excrement, and Vomit
thuto'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
4.0
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Xenophobia, and Death of parent
Moderate: Sexual violence