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awaterswadesthrough's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Blood, Classism, Death, Medical trauma, Slavery, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Medical content, Trafficking, Animal death, Murder, Violence, Body horror, Genocide, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, War, Child death, and Chronic illness
wanderonwards's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This wasn't as good as the first book for me, mostly because of the gratuitous number of deaths (many of which I felt were unnecessary) and frustratingly dense characters (I connected so many more things well before the characters themselves, which isn't necessarily bad, but I didn't feel so disappointed with character decisions in the first book). I hope this trilogy finds its stride again for the third book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Confinement, War, Gore, Murder, Trafficking, Violence, Blood, Body horror, Classism, Death, Medical content, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Grief, and Medical trauma
breadhead3's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- 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
I have no qualms with this book. Where I could say the first started slow, and that I struggled to make it to the point where it picked up (though, I loved it after that), I cannot say a negative thing about this one. It's a fantastic sequel to the first, and a fantastic continuation of the series. Barker allows the reader to further explore other characters - their stories, their backgrounds - and while that threw me off a little at first, I grew to enjoy that just as much, for there was a purpose behind all of it. Joron's broken down time and time again and, like all of the other major characters, the reader watches as he grows, as he adapts, and as he learns. After finishing it, I find myself staring at the third book: half-excited for what's to come, and half-worried all the same.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Trafficking and Violence
Moderate: Confinement
booksinthemountains's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This book is the second in a series so I'm not going to go into a ton of detail as you need to read the first book before getting into this one. So I'm going to just give you a brief description of the series. If you like pirates and tales of the great sea with a little light fantasy this is the book series for you.
Here's our set-up: The Hundred Isles and Gaunt Isles have been at war for hundreds of years fighting in the great seas. This seems far away for Joron Twiner, a ship wife of a Black Ship, a ship that is essentially a death sentence (once sentenced to death you're sentenced to the Black ship). Then one day Lucky Meas, the greatest ship wife of all time, challenges him to his ship and wins. Lucky Meas turns his ship from scoundrels to fleet and restores it to glory. Indeed Meas promises them a future of no wars and the ship fights to end the never ending war despite being outcasts.
This book series is good. If you are looking for an easy entry to fantasy this could very well be the book for you. The second might be slightly better than the first but it's all great.
Here's our set-up: The Hundred Isles and Gaunt Isles have been at war for hundreds of years fighting in the great seas. This seems far away for Joron Twiner, a ship wife of a Black Ship, a ship that is essentially a death sentence (once sentenced to death you're sentenced to the Black ship). Then one day Lucky Meas, the greatest ship wife of all time, challenges him to his ship and wins. Lucky Meas turns his ship from scoundrels to fleet and restores it to glory. Indeed Meas promises them a future of no wars and the ship fights to end the never ending war despite being outcasts.
This book series is good. If you are looking for an easy entry to fantasy this could very well be the book for you. The second might be slightly better than the first but it's all great.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore
Moderate: Violence, Slavery, and Trafficking
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