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angrangy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Moderate: Torture, Violence, Medical content, and War
eellww's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Minor: Bullying, Death, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, War, and Injury/Injury detail
abby_can_read'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? No
3.0
This book was fine. I'm not really sure how I felt about it. I liked the magic system.
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Death of parent
Moderate: Blood, Grief, and Murder
Minor: Torture, Vomit, and War
amschelly153's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, War, and Injury/Injury detail
nixieba25f'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? No
4.5
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, War, and Classism
kirstenf'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
4.75
Moderate: Violence, Medical content, and Classism
Minor: Confinement, Death, Sexism, Terminal illness, Torture, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
monicalaurette's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
“Strangling me with continuous thoughts of my own inferiority and doubt.”
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Murder, and War
onlyvitro'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? No
4.5
Graphic: Death, Terminal illness, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Torture and War
oakairi'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? No
5.0
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Death of parent
Moderate: Blood, Grief, and Murder
Minor: Torture, Vomit, and War
xvicesx'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
They say you can spot a true shennong-shi by their hands - palms colored by the stain of the earth, fingertips scarred from thorns, a permanent crust of soil and blood darkening the crescents of their nails.
I used to look at my hands with pride.
Now, all I can think is, These are the hands that buried my mother.
The pacing was really good throughout, every scene purposeful and leading the reader through the baffling world of court politics and intrigue from the eyes of a girl of simple goals. All Ning wants to do is save her sister.
The romance was cute, although brief, so I'm hoping for a bit more in the follow-up, and the end does come to a bit of a cliffhanger overall but I enjoyed it all enough to not argue too much.
Strongly recommend. A love letter to Chinese myth, food that is a form of art, and most of all, tea.
On a side note, because I've seen this flagged as LGBTQ elsewhere and it's not necessarily clear if it's the main focus of the book or there is representation.
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Bullying, Chronic illness, Classism, and Deportation
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Torture, Blood, Death of parent, and War
I flag a note on animal cruelty because a snake dies as a vehicle for one of the trials, but all other animals featured in the book do just fine.