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luise96's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I really liked the overarching theme of „disabled“ or just different people (and dragons) and how most see them as unfit to live and should be killed at birth, curious to see what will happen with this theme still.
Graphic: Child death and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Ableism
alexiconic'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
Which isn’t to say there was no plot. There was, the story was moving; things were absolutely happening, slowly but surely. But at the same time, the characters, their musings, and their relations to one another moved the book along most. And that was really cool!
It made the book slow down and still ensured every page was gripping. It also made for a diverse group of characters about whom there was always more to learn, and we as the reader kept learning.
There were a few times where the writing style didn’t entirely work for me. A times, the direct style can feel like it’s telling the reader too directly what a character is feeling, thinking, implying. Most of the time it worked, sometimes it didn’t.
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, and Sexism
aseel_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Moderate: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
ruark's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Minor: Sexism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Xenophobia
pulleamurmeli's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting
kaziaroo'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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Blood, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexual assault, and Alcohol
Minor: Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Vomit, Murder, and Pregnancy
Several detailed descriptions of handling and eating meat (both fresh and cooked).talonsontypewriters's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Body shaming, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Grief, and Cannibalism
Minor: Child death, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Death of parent, Alcohol, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic
sassmistress's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Reminds me of A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan, if you're looking for more of the Bingtown/Alise story line.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Gore, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Abandonment
Minor: Death, Slavery, and Alcohol
Emotional abuse from a spouse and from a parent, lying (nearly to the point of gaslighting) about an affair. Three graphic sex scenes-- one an unpleasantly dutiful consummation of marriage, one martial rape, and one violent fade-to-black between the two men having the aforementioned affair. Heavy prejudice based on "birth defects" for which infants are normally abandoned to die, injuries are described in detail--pus, cutting away putrified flesh, pulling out a sick dragon's scales and impaling to siphon blood, andjoelcharig's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
If the next three books pick up the pace, I can forgive the above. If all four books are akin to this one, I may struggle.
But that being said, a lot of consideration was put into the writing; it's very thorough in terms of character development and description. You genuinely feel as if you're inside the characters' heads as the perspective shifts from one to another. Hobb is superb at achieving that.
Moderate: Toxic relationship
Minor: Emotional abuse and Blood
gracecrandall's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, Excrement, Cannibalism, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment