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lizziaha's review against another edition
- Strong character development? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Trafficking, Suicide attempt, and Murder
taroroot'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? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
mirificmoxie'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: Kidnapping and Murder
Moderate: Confinement, Sexual assault, Violence, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Slavery, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
katievallin's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Stalking, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
Moderate: Child abuse, Vomit, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Suicide, Torture, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment
krysley's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.75
This book was very mid for me. It has a great concept surrounding the storm singers, but the execution is not great.
Pros: The opening scene at the gallows definitely gave me Pirates of the Caribbean vibes and set a strong start for the book (it unfortunately meandered as it went on). The ghistings were really cool and I couldn't wait until we get to know them more individually.
Cons: I did not feel the romance between Mary and Samuel. There was no chemistry there. I started shipping Samuel/Fisher and Mary/Charles more than the supposed Samuel and Mary thing the author was trying to build. There's more chemistry between those two pairings than Samuel and Mary.
However, the most egregious misstep by the author were the storm singers. Here's the thing: the concept of storm singers is really great, but the author doesn't build on it. What type of singing does what to the weather? Does the type of song matter? Are there songs every storm singer sings or are they individual? The answers to these questions would have made this such a stronger fantasy. Lean into the world building, people!
The narration: I've been a big fan of Moira Quirk since I first heard her voice Gideon the Ninth. When I first started listening to this I could not believe that this was the same narrator who did Gideon. And I mean that in the best way possible! There are fleeting moments when I recognized the tone, but overall this sounded like a completely different person. Kudos to Moira Quirk for such a range. Samuel Roukin held his own alongside Quirk, but she really is one of the best.
I think the YA fantasy crowd may enjoy this one for the adventure, but I won't be continuing the series.
Moderate: Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
pale_faced_fear's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Gore, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail