orchidlilly's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
First the good: when people said the books got too religious, I expected a thinly veiled Jesus metaphor like is found in Narnia, instead I was pleasantly surprised with the opposite. It's really quite refreshing to read a book whose religious themes are critical of the church as opposed to praising it. I found the whole 'kill god' basis of Asriel's motivation rather amusing and the commentary on the church is, as a Christian, very accurate and not without basis. The writing is, as always, impeccable, and I found myself becoming very attached to the minor characters of Dr. Mary Malone, the Galevespians, Balthamos, and Baruch.
The bad: It annoys me greatly that Lyra is once again reduced to nothing more than a damsel in distress for Will to moon over. For the majority of the book, Lyra is asleep and helpless, and once she wakes up, she becomes a nervous, clingy, mostly useless ingenue. The only time we get to see the old Lyra is in the land of the dead, and that fire is short-lived. For all Will loves to wax poetic about how strong and stubborn Lyra is, we get to see exactly none of it. There is also the matter of the character deaths. After Scoresby and Mr. Perry, the deaths of our beloved side characters begin to feel very forced and unnecessary very quickly. Asriel and Coulter's "redemption" is so short, abrupt, and seemingly out of character that it leaves a bitter taste in the mouth. Worst of all, is the romance between Will and Lyra. The entire book, the budding romance feels both painfully obvious and forced. The love conquers and fixes all theme is tired at this point, and it only works if the characters have any chemistry as lovers, these two are just about as ridiculous as Romeo and Juliet. So many questions are left unanswered that the story almost feels unfinished, which is a great disappointment given Pullman's in-depth worldbuilding from the two previous books.
Three stars because up until the last seven or so chapters, the story is just as captivating as its predecessors.
Graphic: Child death, Injury/injury detail, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Grief, Animal death, Child abuse, Gun violence, Death, Murder, Violence, War, Blood, Physical abuse, and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Genocide, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Religious bigotry, Infidelity, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Sexism
Minor: Sexual harassment, Classism, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking, Chronic illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Colonisation, Alcohol, and Dementia
jessthanthree's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Religious bigotry, Death, Kidnapping, Grief, Animal death, War, Violence, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, and Death of parent
crykea's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Animal death, Confinement, Death of parent, Kidnapping, War, Violence, Death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, and Gun violence
Minor: Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Blood, Child death, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Stalking, Suicide, and Terminal illness
The minor content warnings are mentioned briefly in theSpoiler
realm of death.Spoiler
will and lyra are stalked by father Gomez in the mulefa's worldSpoiler
mrs coulier is kidnapped and confined by multiple people throughout the book, most often lord Asriel. Lyra begins the book in confinement after being kidnapped by Mrs Coulier as the end of the last book. The death of a parent tags refer to Lord Asriel and Mrs Coulier in the Metatron scene. The book has a through line theme of grief but it is especially poignant st the end in reference to will and lyra parting ways.rosequarterdrifting'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
4.0
Moderate: Abandonment, Animal death, Child abuse, Racism, Religious bigotry, and Death of parent
Minor: Blood and Sexual content
zombiezami's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Grief, and Suicide
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, and War
violaceae'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
4.5
Graphic: Violence, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Blood
Minor: Religious bigotry, Confinement, and Child death
jojo_'s review against another edition
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Murder and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Death
Minor: Excrement