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iono's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Death, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Xenophobia, and Murder
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, War, and Classism
Minor: Body horror, Cursing, Homophobia, Rape, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
pri_lakshmi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, and War
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Dementia, Medical trauma, Stalking, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Bullying, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, and Colonisation
gus717's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Drug use, Gun violence, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexual content, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Racism, Rape, Torture, Xenophobia, and Alcohol
bubbly_lara'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
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Cursing, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Child abuse, Drug abuse, Dementia, Kidnapping, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Rape, and Sexual content
takarakei'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
- Warring mafia/mob families
- Political intrigue to the max
- Kung fu/martial arts inspired
- Complex lovable characters
- Multiple POV
I struggled in parts of this book because of the amount of political intrigue related to the clans/families was a lot and I'm not really interested in mafias in general. But those parts were also the typical sorts of things I figure you'd find in books about a mob family and being used as a kind of structure/base (I haven't read any others, so I personally don't have anything to compare it to besides The Sopranos). However the things that make this book unique, mainly the jade and THE CHARACTERS which are all so complex and interesting, were thoroughly enjoyable. I found myself towards the end really getting invested because I loved these characters so much.
Since this is the first book in a series it did feel like it was a lot of set up for the subsequent books, but I am interested to keep reading and see where things go from here.
Also I drew a lot of parallels between this book and The Poppy War, even though they are VERY different series. But interestingly the first books were published a year apart, so I wonder if Fonda Lee and R.F. Kuang have any similar influences.
3/5 🌶️ (there is explicit sex but it’s very sporadic)
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Violence, and War
Moderate: Addiction, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual content, and Dementia
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Rape, and Colonisation
serena_hien's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Misogyny and War
Minor: Pedophilia, Rape, Suicide, and Death of parent
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? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Kidnapping
Minor: Homophobia, Pedophilia, and Rape
ofbooksandechos's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Drug use and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Pedophilia and Rape
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
This book really just blew me away. It's a family saga, and a gangster novel, and a story about a formerly isolated nation forced to confront the wider world and figure out how to live alongside it. The world (especially the advantages and drawbacks of jade magic and how that is integrated) is fascinating, and all of the characters feel like real people. This book is long but not a single word feels wasted - everything that comes up even once matters.
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Drug abuse, Gore, Xenophobia, Medical content, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol
Minor: Ableism, Bullying, Chronic illness, Confinement, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Mass/school shootings, War, and Classism
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
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Violence, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, Xenophobia, Vomit, Medical content, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
Minor: Ableism, Homophobia, Infidelity, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Colonisation