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Graphic: Misogyny
Moderate: Racism, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry
Minor: Animal death, Infertility, Miscarriage, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Cannibalism, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Sexual harassment
There is a bit of buildup before the magic system is established to the reader and characters are deep into the plot, but once everything starts unraveling it doesn’t stop.
I look forward to reading more books by M L Wang. I listened to the audiobook and will be seeking out other books read by narrator Moira Quirk.
Graphic: Racism, Sexism, Violence
Moderate: Death, Gore, Slavery, Religious bigotry, Classism
Minor: Ableism, Animal death, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Alcohol
I think everyone should read this book. It is excellent commentary on so many real-world issues told through a riveting story of flawed, raw characters that you want to root for. Wang tackles racism—specifically against indigenous people—, colonization, collective liberation, hypocrisy in religion, corruption in government, "benevolent" complicity, white guilt/tears, and so much more with such finesse. She asks us all to grapple with the questions: what is the cost of our comforts, and what is the effect on our humanity of the denial of those costs?
The story is a page-turner the whole way through, and hooked me within the first chapter. The magic system is extremely unique and interesting, and the world-building is so well-done. Both are intricate without being hard to understand (plus a handy pocket guide is included in the back!). The series of events is realistic as it pertains to the world/characters and the IRL issues the story seeks to tackle.
Graphic: Death, Racism, Sexism, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation
Moderate: Body horror, Genocide, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Minor: Animal death, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infertility, Suicide, Cannibalism, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, War
Go read it!!
I still cannot put into words the way this book affected me. The premise sounds so simple, but it is interwoven with such complex issues and thoughts that are so brilliantly handled and discussed. The characters are so amazingly fleshed out and morally gray. They are understandable while also being frustrating. The magic system is unique and the world reflects so many different places and times we are familiar with.
It is amazing. Probably my top read of the year.
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexism, Grief, Colonisation, Classism, Deportation
Moderate: Death, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Death of parent
Minor: Animal death, Vomit, Alcohol
This book was depressing as hell, but it also manages to capture this little bit of hope. The perfect mix to make me cry without fail.
Even though I’m generally super skeptical about epic fantasy standalones, because I feel like they’re often missing necessary world-building and/or character development, this book was written very satisfyingly and didn’t leave me wishing for more. In a standalone, the author has to flesh out the characters, the world, and the magic on a level that other authors are trying to accomplish in a duology, trilogy, or even longer series. This is extremely difficult, in my opinion, which is why standalones often leave me feeling like many things were missing or were too rushed. This isn’t the case here. I don’t know how M.L. Wang does it, but I don’t care as long as I get to read more books like this by her.
I’m not even going to go into too much detail about anything else. Just know that I adored the characters. Thinking about it, there’s a relatively small amount of significant characters, but the ones that are there are well-realized and serve an important purpose for the story.
Furthermore, the magic system is incredibly unique, unlike anything I’ve seen before. Basically, the magic works by writing code for these special typewriter-like machines. It’s so creative!
The world itself was set up well. I don’t feel like I was missing any important background information and the descriptions were good enough to imagine the setting well.
Excellent book! It’s definitely getting the strongest recommendation from me.
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Blood, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder
Moderate: Violence, Vomit, Police brutality, Suicide attempt, Classism
Minor: Bullying, Gun violence, Infertility, Rape, Cannibalism, Alcohol
Graphic: Death, Blood, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, Classism
Minor: Cannibalism, Alcohol
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Genocide, Gore, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Colonisation, Classism
Moderate: Animal death, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment
Minor: Ableism, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Vomit, Police brutality, Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Trafficking, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting, Alcohol
Graphic: Death, Gore, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Suicidal thoughts, Police brutality, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Minor: Cursing, Death of parent, Alcohol
It definitely felt like I was in a academic setting, not because there's great descriptive and immersive writing, but because it was like I was in a lecture the whole time😖 Be assured that not a single thought needs to pass through your head while reading this book, the author will explain it all to you like you're five.
I could almost feel the author watching me read, peering over my shoulder: "do you get it?? Did you see what I did there?? Let me explain it all to you again."
Please, us readers are capable of independent thought I swear😩
I do love what this book is attempting to do, just not the execution. Discussions of corrupt government built on the pain and exploitation of marginalised groups of people will never not be important or relevant. Unfortunately, we all live in a world just like Sciona's, and we really need to be smacked over the head with the reminder of it so that we don't cover our eyes to it like the antagonists of this novel did.
One thing I did appreciate was the use of the magic system to further develop and explore the issues of this fictional world (and our nonfiction world), that's something I will always enjoy in a fantasy book.
...I just wish it was written better yk🫣
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Death, Gore, Infertility, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Alcohol, Classism