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lady_sharp's review against another edition
The book is mostly fine, in that sewage is mostly rainwater. Most of it is perfectly competent court intrigue/post apocalyptic fantasy with interesting characters, but it'll occasionally float by that the man who told a teenager she was too ugly to rape is meant to be a charming rogue (and her reaction to this is to be disappointed he finds her ugly....tip to writers: teenagers are hormonal, not complete idiots), the only people of color are harem-owning slavers despite it making no sense worldbuilding-wise, the albino woman just exists for us to gawk at how unnatural she is, and the obsession with evil female vanity that would make a fundamentalist Puritan proud. I'll give it credit, it was well-written enough that I spent a truly inordinate amount of time thinking that these things would be challenged later on...but it seems not. And I don't think I could stomach one more scene of a woman going doe-eyed over a man that treats her like garbage.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual content, Torture, Religious bigotry, and War
Moderate: Ableism
sdixon's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- 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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Rape, and War
mazomazli's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I’m really not sure how I made it to the end and still want to read the next book. I found a lot of the worldbuilding to be the main reason I kept going because I want to know how things came to be. However this book is very much packed full with triggering content, often done carelessly and thrown in for what feels like shock factor. The main character is not likable at all, though I’ve never liked her to begin with. Here are the following that the author did that doesn’t sit right with me:
- constant obsession with beauty equaling goodness and fat phobia (only when the main character loses weight and magically takes on someone else’s appearance is she pretty) and the other evil queen would never be beautiful. How tragic to be ugly I suppose.
- one of the most graphic homophobia scenes I’ve ever read. A gay church member is castrated and his wound is left to get infected. There was no reason to put this in. There’s no commentary it’s just to show how evil the new church leader is
- graphic rape and constant sexual assault. Graphic domestic violence in full detail. Repeatedly.
- graphic self harm that is also deeply concerning because it seems the main character is always reopening her wounds by the slightest movements. There was no need to describe her start into it.
- bizarre portrayal of a woman with albinism being magical and wicked and very sexual…?! That was deeply uncomfortable and I think ableist
- stereotypical orientalism with describing a neighboring king of having a harem with 20+ wives and how the main character was offered to be the highest rank
- improper “seizure” care where they held down the MC and put things in her mouth - huge no’s
- slavery is used as a casual tool
And so much more.
Jonathan deserved better than to meet an end of self sacrifice.
- constant obsession with beauty equaling goodness and fat phobia (only when the main character loses weight and magically takes on someone else’s appearance is she pretty) and the other evil queen would never be beautiful. How tragic to be ugly I suppose.
- one of the most graphic homophobia scenes I’ve ever read. A gay church member is castrated and his wound is left to get infected. There was no reason to put this in. There’s no commentary it’s just to show how evil the new church leader is
- graphic rape and constant sexual assault. Graphic domestic violence in full detail. Repeatedly.
- graphic self harm that is also deeply concerning because it seems the main character is always reopening her wounds by the slightest movements. There was no need to describe her start into it.
- bizarre portrayal of a woman with albinism being magical and wicked and very sexual…?! That was deeply uncomfortable and I think ableist
- stereotypical orientalism with describing a neighboring king of having a harem with 20+ wives and how the main character was offered to be the highest rank
- improper “seizure” care where they held down the MC and put things in her mouth - huge no’s
- slavery is used as a casual tool
And so much more.
Jonathan deserved better than to meet an end of self sacrifice.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Ableism, Animal death, Racism, Slavery, Vomit, Abortion, Dysphoria, and War
greymalkin's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I really enjoyed the Lily sections. I found her story interesting and her internal life compelling. The slow evolution of her journey had a compelling energy that made those sections fly by.
However... Kelsea. Sigh. I had so enjoyed in the previous book that she was naïve but not the usual impetuous YA heroine who refuses to listen to smart people or learn from her mistakes. Alas that is all gone now.Kelsea seems determined to make up for lost time by making incredibly stupid mistakes and decisions over and over and over again. She never once learns from her mistakes and hundreds (perhaps thousands) of people die.
I also am increasingly uncomfortable with the author's internalized misogyny and obsession with rape. You'd think that this is a book that celebrates the power of women but it's on the surface. The author/book constantly rapes and brutalizes the female characters, and makes them insecure and fragile and obsessed with their appearance or babies to the detriment of their ability to function or think clearly. The competent, reasonable people are all men with the exception of a young girl (who was sexually and emotionally abused by her father) and that girl's mother (who is mostly reduced to role of tired nursemaid in this book instead of the fascinating prickly brave woman she was written as in the first book). And Lily. Lily is horrifically abused and yet she decides to do something incredibly brave and turns out to be extremely smart and skilled.
I also really disliked Kelsea's non-consensual having sex with Penn. Ugh. She's his Queen and his direct employee/servant as close guard. The power dynamic is absolutely not at all allowing him to have a real choice in the matter despite her "I'm not Queen now" whispers. The whole thing was really distasteful to me. And I was already not really happy about where they went with Penn even before they started having sex. All of a sudden he's in love with her and has to go visit a prostitute or someone to get jacked off regularly so he can be around the person he loves without being aroused all the time I guess? Wow, okay. That's... something. He's not a teenager, does he have no bodily control? I was hoping that the real reason he'd refused her was that he was gay. They even talked about it right after he refuses her the first time and it would have been a really nice way for that situation to be negotiated. And Mace should have pulled him off of close guard duty right away. He says that it's something that happens a lot with close guards. That totally makes sense. But it also can't possibly have been a situation where it turns out well often enough that he'd tolerate it. It seems like such a security weakness.
I'm uncomfortable with the inclusion of self-harm as a way for Kelsea to deal with things. That is a very real issue and Kelsea is hiding it and forcing the only person who knows (Penn) to not talk about it (gee, doesn't that tell her anything about how much he can't consent to sex with her even if he is in love with her?). It is modeling a very troubling coping mechanism in a way that makes it seem acceptable, and I worry about that. The book/author makes it clear that drugging yourself against the pain of an abusive husband and shitty oppressive world is not acceptable so I know this book/author can let readers know when something is not a healthy coping strategy.
The whole magic/sapphires/suddenly Kelsea can do anything she needs to do to solve the plot problem at the time (deus ex... sapphires?) was annoying. Kelsea never needed to compromise or listen to her advisors or learn from her mistakes because she could simply heal the dying or blow up bridges or escape into a convenient vision or telepathically violate people and learn their deepest secrets or paralyze people or ... sigh. I didn't hate it because I'm hoping there's a good reason it works like that, but it feels like really lazy writing in this book.
I did really like learning more about the Crossing and finally getting payoff for all the "modern world" hints that were sprinkled throughout the first book. I didn't find the switch to the "modern America" jarring or unexpected, it was fun, and with Kelsea being so intolerable, I honestly enjoyed those sections more, even with Lily being so brutalized.
I'm reading the third one but only for Lily. And Aisa, my ferocious stabby girl.
However... Kelsea. Sigh. I had so enjoyed in the previous book that she was naïve but not the usual impetuous YA heroine who refuses to listen to smart people or learn from her mistakes. Alas that is all gone now.
I also am increasingly uncomfortable with the author's internalized misogyny and obsession with rape. You'd think that this is a book that celebrates the power of women but it's on the surface. The author/book constantly rapes and brutalizes the female characters, and makes them insecure and fragile and obsessed with their appearance or babies to the detriment of their ability to function or think clearly. The competent, reasonable people are all men with the exception of a young girl (who was sexually and emotionally abused by her father) and that girl's mother (who is mostly reduced to role of tired nursemaid in this book instead of the fascinating prickly brave woman she was written as in the first book). And Lily. Lily is horrifically abused and yet she decides to do something incredibly brave and turns out to be extremely smart and skilled.
I also really disliked Kelsea's non-consensual having sex with Penn. Ugh. She's his Queen and his direct employee/servant as close guard. The power dynamic is absolutely not at all allowing him to have a real choice in the matter despite her "I'm not Queen now" whispers. The whole thing was really distasteful to me. And I was already not really happy about where they went with Penn even before they started having sex. All of a sudden he's in love with her and has to go visit a prostitute or someone to get jacked off regularly so he can be around the person he loves without being aroused all the time I guess? Wow, okay. That's... something. He's not a teenager, does he have no bodily control? I was hoping that the real reason he'd refused her was that he was gay. They even talked about it right after he refuses her the first time and it would have been a really nice way for that situation to be negotiated. And Mace should have pulled him off of close guard duty right away. He says that it's something that happens a lot with close guards. That totally makes sense. But it also can't possibly have been a situation where it turns out well often enough that he'd tolerate it. It seems like such a security weakness.
I'm uncomfortable with the inclusion of self-harm as a way for Kelsea to deal with things. That is a very real issue and Kelsea is hiding it and forcing the only person who knows (Penn) to not talk about it (gee, doesn't that tell her anything about how much he can't consent to sex with her even if he is in love with her?). It is modeling a very troubling coping mechanism in a way that makes it seem acceptable, and I worry about that. The book/author makes it clear that drugging yourself against the pain of an abusive husband and shitty oppressive world is not acceptable so I know this book/author can let readers know when something is not a healthy coping strategy.
The whole magic/sapphires/suddenly Kelsea can do anything she needs to do to solve the plot problem at the time (deus ex... sapphires?) was annoying. Kelsea never needed to compromise or listen to her advisors or learn from her mistakes because she could simply heal the dying or blow up bridges or escape into a convenient vision or telepathically violate people and learn their deepest secrets or paralyze people or ... sigh. I didn't hate it because I'm hoping there's a good reason it works like that, but it feels like really lazy writing in this book.
I did really like learning more about the Crossing and finally getting payoff for all the "modern world" hints that were sprinkled throughout the first book. I didn't find the switch to the "modern America" jarring or unexpected, it was fun, and with Kelsea being so intolerable, I honestly enjoyed those sections more, even with Lily being so brutalized.
I'm reading the third one but only for Lily. And Aisa, my ferocious stabby girl.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Rape
Moderate: Murder and War
Minor: Child abuse
cmbohn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Moderate: Child abuse, Rape, Self harm, Fire/Fire injury, and War
kalmia31's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Religious bigotry, Murder, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Infertility, Pedophilia, Slavery, Kidnapping, Abortion, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting
shinypurplepants's review against another edition
adventurous
sad
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
The second entry into the Tearling series didn't hold me in the same way of the first. The realities of war made this one feel heavier and the changes it brought to our Queen of the Tearling made it difficult for me to continue rooting for her. <\spoiler>
In addition, the dual narrative starring Lily, while a relevant glimpse into the Old World, felt like it slowed the pace of the book dramatically.
Overall, I would still recommend those that enjoyed the first book give this one a try with the caveat that it is quite different from the first entry in the series.
In addition, the dual narrative starring Lily, while a relevant glimpse into the Old World, felt like it slowed the pace of the book dramatically.
Overall, I would still recommend those that enjoyed the first book give this one a try with the caveat that it is quite different from the first entry in the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual content, Gaslighting, and Classism
imds's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Incest, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Police brutality, Trafficking, Religious bigotry, Murder, and War
Moderate: Racism
aklovekorn's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Murder, Gaslighting, War, and Injury/Injury detail
juliana_caterin's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
4,75
I loved this book so much that I cannot believe it. It wasn't as great as the first book but still got 4.75 stars out of me, almost 5.
At times it felt slow, so be prepared to have to push through it, but it's worth it. As a little critique, it doesn't have the stronger plot of all times, since most of the time we spent with a problem that doesn't seem to be solved. And when we aren't talking and not doing anything about that problem, we spent it on "flashbacks" that had nothing to do directly with the story. That was annoying.
I loved how we got to see other characters' stories, and I want to hug Ewen so much, and I need more of Hall. I didn't love Kelsea as much as in the first book, she was kind of annoying throughout the entire book. And I love Penn. I love him, and Maze. But I have a bad feeling.
Basically, I loved every character!
It's heavily character-based, so don't expect the best magic system or plot. It's all about the characters.
Also, there was a twist at the end that... I didn't see it coming. That was expecting and I don't have a clue about how this is going to go from now on. No clue.
FINALLY, THERE IS A BUNCH OF TW! LOOK IT UP BEFORE READING! There are a lot of mess-up things, and I am not sure if all of that was necessary or just for shock effect, I hope that in the next book we can see the characters healing and making progress after all of this.
I loved this book so much that I cannot believe it. It wasn't as great as the first book but still got 4.75 stars out of me, almost 5.
At times it felt slow, so be prepared to have to push through it, but it's worth it. As a little critique, it doesn't have the stronger plot of all times, since most of the time we spent with a problem that doesn't seem to be solved. And when we aren't talking and not doing anything about that problem, we spent it on "flashbacks" that had nothing to do directly with the story. That was annoying.
I loved how we got to see other characters' stories, and I want to hug Ewen so much, and I need more of Hall. I didn't love Kelsea as much as in the first book, she was kind of annoying throughout the entire book. And I love Penn. I love him, and Maze. But I have a bad feeling.
Basically, I loved every character!
It's heavily character-based, so don't expect the best magic system or plot. It's all about the characters.
Also, there was a twist at the end that... I didn't see it coming. That was expecting and I don't have a clue about how this is going to go from now on. No clue.
FINALLY, THERE IS A BUNCH OF TW! LOOK IT UP BEFORE READING! There are a lot of mess-up things, and I am not sure if all of that was necessary or just for shock effect, I hope that in the next book we can see the characters healing and making progress after all of this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Self harm, Torture, Trafficking, Murder, and War
Minor: Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, and Outing