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apersonfromflorida's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Gore, Blood, and War
Minor: Slavery, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
cursed10fold's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Animal death and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Violence and War
amaranth_wytch's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Violence, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Alcohol
lucario4224'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
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Confinement, Death, Violence, Blood, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Grief and Murder
shieldbearer'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
4.5
However, it must be said that this book does have racist parallels I completely missed as a child. The use of the slur for Romani peoples, namely, and the explicit comparison of/conflation of said slur with the foxes Sela and Chickenhound is a harmful anti-Romani stereotype. They are explicitly described as Romani and their behaviour and characterizations are harmful anti-Romani stereotypes.
There's also the matter of the Sparra, which are more ambiguous, though the author explicitly refers to Sparra warriors as "braves" and continually refers to the race as a whole as "savages" and their portrayal does very much bring to mind typical indigenous stereotypes.
While I would still recommend this book, I firmly believe we should not ignore these harmful portrayals and if you share the novel with your children, these issues should be discussed.
Graphic: Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Grief, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Slavery
percyu's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75
Minor: Death, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
lalicurates'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? No
5.0
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Injury/Injury detail
fiveredhens'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
2.75
"Ah, Matthias, Matthias, the brave one. Wipe away your tears, my son. Death is only part of life. Tell me, can you see the late rose?"
Matthias dried his eyes on the Abbot's wide sleeve. "Yes, Father. It is in full bloom now."
"And are all the little roses as red as blood?" said the Abbot.
"They are, Father," Matthias answered.
The Abbot sighed. "It is as it was meant to be."
85% guided reading level book for the discerning christian second-grader
10% graphic violence
5% woodland feast
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Racial slurs, Sexism, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Alcoholism, Confinement, Fatphobia, Physical abuse, and Alcohol
"r*ghead"