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kayberlyn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol
britreads'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
I loved Anoor and Sylah's relationship and how they both pushed each other to be better than their original selves. I'm not usually a love triangle person and it is very easy to root for one pairing over the other in here, but I loved the complexity of Sylah's connection with Jond. Hassa was my favorite character and I wish there was more of her in the story. I'm curious to see what role she will play in the sequel.
This world was also unique and evocative.
This novel will linger for a while. There are little character details that I appreciate and it makes me want to start the story again. The story is violent and heavy, so definitely check the content warnings before starting this.
Graphic: Violence and Blood
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Grief
frankieclc's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Racism, Self harm, Torture, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: War
fairyollie'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
what I especially love about this book, as a queer disabled adult who uses sign language, is that disability, sexuality, gender, alternate/augmented means of communication, etc., are all simply facets of life. never do I see a book in which a main character - or so many characters - are disabled and it is not a "pity, shame, how sad, I could never, this is gonna advance so-and-so's character arc!", plot point or traumatic backstory. it simply is. there is so much more I wish I could say, but for fear of my big mouth and I spoiling a thing, let me leave you with this: I cannot recommend this book more; it is simply impossible. I beg you, please join me in this raw, open-hearted, desperate, vengeful quest for adventure and justice and give this series a try.
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Slavery, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, and Classism
Moderate: Body shaming, Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Murder, Abandonment, and Alcohol
ambitiousnalgene'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
4.0
Graphic: Addiction and Slavery
Moderate: Death and Violence
fernanda_o'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
3.75
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Gore
kaitrates's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
WHEW Y'allll what is there to say about this stunning novel that hasn't already been said? I'm so glad I buddy read this and we could collectively lose our mind together on page 545 aka 95% .
This one admittedly took me a bit to get into—as is common with new fantasy worlds where you spend the first 100 pages confused about what's what and who's who and so on—but once I had my proverbial feet on the ground, I was hooked.
This has some of the best character development I've ever read with a plot that was paced perfectly to match it. And the world gets so much bigger at the end! I fell in love with this world and these characters and cannot wait to continue their journey in book 2 and beyond.
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, and Slavery
Moderate: Body horror and Violence
salemander's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Physical abuse, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
porcupine_girl's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Self harm, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Dysphoria
Minor: Bullying, Cancer, Chronic illness, and Fire/Fire injury
musebeliever's review against another edition
1.0
I really liked the idea of the two protagonists being swapped at birth and was curious about how it would play out in their lives. However, I was not at all on board with the magic system relying on a biological element. This has big chosen one and essentialism vibes, which I just could not deal with.
I also struggled with the writing style and the characterisation. The fact that we are privy to every single thought created, in my opinion, very unidimensional characters. Despite this shower of information, some of Sylah's actions just do not make sense to me, and too much of the plot relies on Sylah's poor choice or negligence. I can understand this happening once or twice, but how am I to believe that we are in the presence of the person who will overthrow an empire. This did not work for me.
I found everything very bleak, which makes sense for a dystopia, but also extremely heavy-handed. This read like YA to me, which is not my favourite writing style. The clues as to where the plot is going are underlined and surrounded by blinking lights.
I was also taken aback by the inconsistence in tone. There is a moment in the book when Sylah reminisces her tragic past while she watches the new tyrants of the Empire being chosen. She looks at one of them and thinks, "68 never looked so good." This sounded taken out of a gossip instagram reel commenting the Met gala. It felt really out of place. There were many moments like this when I was thrown off by sudden tone changes that did not match the atmosphere of a chapter. It feels like the book has not been edited.
Finally, fatphobia and foodshaming are frankly painful to read and so unnecessary. Sylah calls Anoor the lump, foodshames her, finds her dresses ridiculous because they are big. She seems to justify her fatphobia because she thinks that Anoor is fat because she is rich and privileged. This does not seem to be coherent as Anoor is mocked by her peers. The author also depicts her as a bit silly. Someone who chooses her seat in a room to have a better view on the dishes that are being served. We are clearly supposed to find that funny. Let's be serious one minute.
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Rape, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Toxic friendship