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bookswithclementine's review against another edition
3.5
This is the story of an orphan girl, who gets rescued by a noble house only to be used by them, in terrible ways, that culminated in her killing the eldest son.
We are discovering exactly what happened as the story evolves, but we are thrust into her story just as she is about to get executed for her crime, when the poison master calls for her and offers her to become the new poison taster to the Commander…
There’s not really any choice for her when the alternative is death, but to cooperate!
And while trying to understand her new job, and not to die while training, she has to navigate court intrigue, assassination plots, and a strange magic that grows in her in a country where ANY magic is outlawed
Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Slavery
arkiwi88'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
3.75
Graphic: Child abuse, Genocide, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Dysphoria, and Classism
kaz_brekkerrr's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Moderate: Violence and Murder
Minor: Cursing, Death, Sexual violence, and Slavery
moobell55'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? N/A
4.75
Graphic: Child abuse and Violence
Moderate: Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Trafficking, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual harassment, and War
nova42'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? N/A
5.0
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Slavery
Moderate: Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Kidnapping
jamby4546's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Trafficking, and Murder
jgalla'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? Yes
2.75
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
lupin92'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? No
4.25
Graphic: Slavery
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Torture
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Vomit
Rape:itsnotalakeitsanocean's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
What I liked
- The castle staff felt believable and you could really get a sense of both their overall dynamic serving the Commander and their individual dynamics within their colleague groups. It really helped set up a lot of the intrigue that came later as Yelena navigated her new life.
- I was always excited to see what Yelena would do next or what she was planning. I also liked seeing her reflect on how far she'd come and survived at the end of the book.
- I liked the fact that
the Commander was transgender and although he had inner conflict stemming from the fact he could be potentially outed, it was not presented as a negative and I thought it was sweet the way Yelena helped him through his inner dysphoria. I think the way he was initially described could have been avoided to have less gender essentialism to it, I think the inclusion of a transgender character was a pleasant surprise. - I really liked the plot twist with the
Criollo. The way it was seemingly benign only for its true horrific potential to be revealed later was good.
What I didn't like
Valek reciprocating Yelena's feelings came out of nowhere for me. And the same could be said for the random sex scene towards the end of the book (because clearly nothing screams sexier than sex in a cold dank rat-infested dungeon). - The villains weren't particularly strong characters and felt like they were cut from the same cloth of evil.
Mogkam especially felt like a stereotypical evil magical advisor to his boss, as if he did what he did just for the sake of being evil instead of having a clear reason . One of the side characters, Rand, seems to get left by the wayside after he died - which felt disproportionate to how much a part of Yelena's life in good and bad ways.
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, and Torture
Moderate: Vomit
Minor: Sexual content and Trafficking
serendipity421's review
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Rape, Sexual violence, and Suicidal thoughts