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hellavaral's review against another edition
4.25
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Violence, Xenophobia, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Suicide and Grief
nhollie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Body horror, Violence, Xenophobia, Vomit, Medical content, and Colonisation
Minor: Genocide
frogcakes's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Death, Violence, and War
Moderate: Vomit
Minor: Suicide
alexijai98's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Genocide, Violence, Xenophobia, Vomit, Medical content, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Sexual content
quarkie'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? It's complicated
4.25
One thing I really enjoyed was the pacing - while the beginning was s bit slow, the second half had me on the edge of my seat, and made it difficult to put down!
One complaint I have, that is similar to the previous book, is that sometimes plot points "just happened". Meaning that they either seemingly had no lead up to them, or that they happened and didn't actually have an effect on the plot. It left readers hanging in a few cases.
The main topics that I took away from reading this were what the concept of "you" means to various societies, which was explored in the previous book and then expanded even further upon here. It was also an interesting look at how a society that is know for consuming cultures through colonization acts when confronted with a (SPOILER ALERT) society that will much more literally consume them. Finally, this book explored more concretely the ways in which people from these various cultures interact with one another, and how they can be actively doing harm when they are in fact well-intentioned.
Moderate: Death, Genocide, Sexual content, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Grief and Alcohol
gardens_and_dragons's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This book drew together a lot within its pages - predominantly it’s the story of first contact with aliens that the humans here cannot understand. It’s about trying to broker peace when the other side doesn’t see you even as a person because it cannot understand the way you communicate as language.
But this duology is also about colonization of the mind and heart, culture as it pertains to identity, what constitutes personhood, and sometimes how identity is informed by how wide your definition of “you” is. It’s also about loyalty, memory, political machinations, and the line between treason and doing the right thing.
Also, the prose is beautifully crafted. Each POV feels unique, the poetry of the prose itself, but also the poetics of how certain words and actions felt so purposeful and thematic… gosh Martine is an astounding writer.
If you are a fan of political sci-fi, this is a must read.
Graphic: Violence and Xenophobia
Moderate: Vomit
Minor: Genocide
iam'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
I especially liked Eight Antidote, the 11-year-old clone to the previous emperor. His chapters were a delight, though maybe not entirely realistic to the mind of such a young person. My suspension of disbelieve was however never broken, and his arc was just so much fun to read.
I also really liked Nine Hibiscus, the fleet captain, and Swarm, her second in command, was one of my new favourites.
But Mahit and Three Seagrass, too, had their moments, and I liked how their relationship developed.
The aliens and various technologies were all fascinating, and I really like the worldbuilding of this series.
I greatly enjoyed any direction the plot turned to, and I cannot wait for more of this series.
Content warnings include: sex on-page, death, anaphylaxis, violence, vomiting, trauma, exile, mentions of and plans to commit genocide.
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Violence, and Vomit
Moderate: Genocide
anaphylaxis, trauma, exilestarlitpage's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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 War
Moderate: Body horror, Sexual content, Medical content, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cursing, Vomit, Grief, and Colonisation
pocket'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
5.0
Graphic: Genocide, Violence, Vomit, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Sexual content
fraxisle'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
4.0
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Murder, and War
Moderate: Genocide, Gun violence, Vomit, Medical content, Stalking, and Injury/Injury detail