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theaceofpages'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? No
3.5
I'll admit, I felt pretty meh for most of the book. I mean, it was interesting enough and I loved some of the ideas (nyxia is such an interesting material with so many interesting possibilities!) but it wasn't particularly inspiring me to read the sequel - I felt like one would be enough. But the ending makes me want to pick up the next book in order to see what actually happened in the last few pages. Which brings me to my main issue with this book. As much as the ideas were interesting, it felt a little repetitive as the book basically comprised training tasks. Which were repeated multiple times. And yeah, there were tweaks and different outcomes, but it still felt repetitive. It feels like this book is a very long set up to the main story and like it could have been streamlined a bit better so that we can get into the main story. Will I be picking up the next book to see how the plot shifts? Maybe? If I can find a copy. I mean, the last pages definitely brought up a lot of questions that I feel could make a more engaging sequel!
Moderate: Child death, Violence, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cancer
kassidyreads'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? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Cancer, Torture, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Abandonment
angeldevoursliterature'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? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cancer, Gore, Murder, and Gaslighting
Minor: Cursing and Torture
greenlivingaudioworm's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Bullying, Cancer, Death, Violence, Blood, Medical trauma, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
nutmegandpumpkin'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
4.75
There were a couple of things that made me not give it 5 stars (one being a bit of instalove near the later half) but overall super enjoyable and would recommend.
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cancer, Cursing, Torture, and Vomit
megsslibrary'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? It's complicated
5.0
If you've read Hunger Games, Red Rising or any other battle royale type book you might think to skip this book but I think Nyxia stands out from the crowd.
The premise is a group of teenagers competing on a spaceship to secure a place on a lucrative mission to the planet Eden. But it is not a blood bath.10 competitors and 8 get to go to Eden. Characters are not supposed to die. It is a battle of wills, perseverance and strategy. Characters might get hurt but it is usually accidental and not the purpose of the challenges. This means when there is injury or blood it seems more brutal because it is unexpected or unplanned.
Characters are very relatable not in their experiences necessarily but in their humanity. They are stuck together through many months of training. They can't help but develop a bond even though they are competitive against each other. The close quarters forces an intensity and intimacy into their relationships with each other. Although they never lose sight of the end game goal. Winning.
Violence and injury have consequences. If a character gets injured they have to heal. While it is faster than an injury would heal in our time (thanks Sci fi tech) it still takes time and rehabilitation afterwards. Emotional injuries aren't magically forgotten either. Everything that happens is felt by the characters and stays with them.
At its core this is a character driven book. There are twists and turns in both the competion and the overall plot of the series but the characters are what keeps you turning the pages.
This does not feel like a complete story and is very much part 1 of a larger narrative. I'm really looking forward to diving into book 2. Most of the questions that have been raised so far have not been answered.
I can't fault this book in any way.
Graphic: Death and Injury/Injury detail