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rnbhargava's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is quite the rambunctious adventure where you’re regularly wondering whether our protagonist learns anything about her headstrong mindset amidst all the shady dealings surrounding her. Would definitely recommend to many.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism
Some of the content warnings are for things that nearly happen but are averted, others absolutely happen. You’ve been forewarned.anovelbeauty's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Book TW: attempted rape, murder, infidelity, sex trafficking, political violence, emotional manipulation
I have sort of mixed feelings about this book. I think it was well-written and there was a lot of uniqueness to it. I particularly loved how much went into the world building and how the author worked to build Oren-Yaro off of a pre-Spanish Filipino culture. It is definitely a gritty and brutal world with lots of death. I expected slightly more political intrigue, but it ended up being more along the lines of “just survive,” which is good in its own right. So definitely go into this book thinking more action and tension than strategy and political drama. So if that’s not your thing, steer clear. The character work was good and I particularly loved Khine. He was such a sweet and loyal character and the moral choices that he makes in the story are interesting. Tali is also interesting. While there are definitely moments where I don’t particularly like her or her choices, they seem congruent to her personality and make sense. There were a few characters that I think I was supposed to like or at least feel sympathy for... but nah. Not really. Whether the character was just morally reprehensible and hypocritical to me or whether they just made really dumb choices, there were a select few that I just was frustrated with continually.
The main antagonist of the book was not my favorite plotline and seemed to end sort of abruptly. While I think it worked alright, it felt like it was detracting a bit from the bigger storyline being set up, though it did serve for some motivation and character growth for Tali.
That sort of mirrors my overall feelings with the book. I think a lot of it works and overall I enjoyed myself, but there were enough little things that weren’t my favorite, particularly in plot and character stuff that kept me from really loving it. Most of my problems were just a matter of personal taste though and don’t really have anything to do with the quality of the book. I’m not sure yet if I’ll pick up the next book, as I’m sort of equally intrigued to see what happens and worried that I’ll just end up even more frustrated. I may try to see some reviews on the next one to make my decision. If the book sounds like your style of fantasy though, go for it! You’ll probably enjoy yourself.
I have sort of mixed feelings about this book. I think it was well-written and there was a lot of uniqueness to it. I particularly loved how much went into the world building and how the author worked to build Oren-Yaro off of a pre-Spanish Filipino culture. It is definitely a gritty and brutal world with lots of death. I expected slightly more political intrigue, but it ended up being more along the lines of “just survive,” which is good in its own right. So definitely go into this book thinking more action and tension than strategy and political drama. So if that’s not your thing, steer clear. The character work was good and I particularly loved Khine. He was such a sweet and loyal character and the moral choices that he makes in the story are interesting. Tali is also interesting. While there are definitely moments where I don’t particularly like her or her choices, they seem congruent to her personality and make sense. There were a few characters that I think I was supposed to like or at least feel sympathy for... but nah. Not really. Whether the character was just morally reprehensible and hypocritical to me or whether they just made really dumb choices, there were a select few that I just was frustrated with continually.
The main antagonist of the book was not my favorite plotline and seemed to end sort of abruptly. While I think it worked alright, it felt like it was detracting a bit from the bigger storyline being set up, though it did serve for some motivation and character growth for Tali.
That sort of mirrors my overall feelings with the book. I think a lot of it works and overall I enjoyed myself, but there were enough little things that weren’t my favorite, particularly in plot and character stuff that kept me from really loving it. Most of my problems were just a matter of personal taste though and don’t really have anything to do with the quality of the book. I’m not sure yet if I’ll pick up the next book, as I’m sort of equally intrigued to see what happens and worried that I’ll just end up even more frustrated. I may try to see some reviews on the next one to make my decision. If the book sounds like your style of fantasy though, go for it! You’ll probably enjoy yourself.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Trafficking, and Murder
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Infidelity
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