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jjjjo'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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and War
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Death of parent, and Murder
elizlizabeth's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- 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
3.0
This is a tricky review because I quite enjoyed the Netflix show of these books, but found the actual source material rather boring. Alina, the main character, has zero agency on what happens to her and seems to only be important because of her power; Mal barely appears and when he does his personality tends to be the trope of gruff pining friend; The Darkling feels childish in his motivations and means. The whole plot is a bit boring and over-extends itself given that we're only following the story of these three people that are barely fleshed out.
Some diversity is pointed at, but none of the main characters is explicitly described as of being from a different race and most of the characters called "beautiful" tend to be described with Eurocentric features. Zero LGBT+ rep is present (which is shocking, given the amount of rep in the tv show).
Overall I'd say that if you haven't watched the show yet, don't let the book deter you from it. It's a completely different beast than this, and much more diverse, enjoyable, and fun. I also hear Leigh Bardugo had a lot of room to add these little details in the show so I'll count it as a more developed version of the canon.
Some diversity is pointed at, but none of the main characters is explicitly described as of being from a different race and most of the characters called "beautiful" tend to be described with Eurocentric features. Zero LGBT+ rep is present (which is shocking, given the amount of rep in the tv show).
Overall I'd say that if you haven't watched the show yet, don't let the book deter you from it. It's a completely different beast than this, and much more diverse, enjoyable, and fun. I also hear Leigh Bardugo had a lot of room to add these little details in the show so I'll count it as a more developed version of the canon.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Slavery and Blood
Minor: Racial slurs