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gardens_and_dragons's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I did like the magic system, which was based on blood magic. I also enjoyed the way that pronouns and transitioning was normalized in their world, as well as asexuality, in a queernormative society. The second half of the book picks up on the actual plot and finding out more about the mysterious Illness plaguing the city.
There are definitely some things that could have been helped by an editor. It felt like a lot of the action happens off screen and between sections/chapters in the beginning part of the book. For example: We are constantly being told how Firuz knows a character but not shown their relationship developing on the page first. We skip over them practicing at the clinic on the early days, earning money and moving their family away from the slums, etc.
Also, the explanation of the complex sociopolitical history of this world came in very late into the story, so some world building felt rushed or missing until hindsight.
Graphic: Medical content and Medical trauma
Moderate: Xenophobia and Religious bigotry
lovealwaysadi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Genocide, Gore, Racism, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Colonisation, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Physical abuse and Violence
avisreadsandreads'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Confinement, Self harm, Torture, Vomit, Colonisation, and Dysphoria
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
idun_aurora'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: Body horror, Death, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Bullying, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Abandonment, Colonisation, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
ofbooksandechos'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? Yes
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, and Medical content
Moderate: Xenophobia, Medical trauma, Colonisation, and Dysphoria
Minor: Self harm and Fire/Fire injury
content warnings provided by the author: Medical racism Ethnically motivated violence Former colonization/empire Descriptions of a refugee/migration crisis Mentions of genocide Discussions/handling of a plague Child death Disordered eating behavior Mostly mild self-harm (for magic reasons) Body dysmorphia from gender dysphoria (and related medical transitions) Discussions of trauma, including past (childhood) physical abuse (for magic reasons) Implied child neglect Body horror and medical gore, including graphic descriptions of corpsesfareehareads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
For such a short piece of fiction, the world building in this book was immediately easy to pick up and felt quite grounded. The idea of environmental magic, blood magic, and structuralists had basic rules to function and limitations that wouldn't make any magic user all powerful.
The mentor and student relationship between Afsoneh, an untrained blood adept (magic user) and Fairuz an inexperienced teacher was so heartwarming. The difficulties Fairuz faced simply through lack of access and fear of something going terribly wrong were frustrating and so real. I felt for each of these characters so heavily. This book is heartwarming, raw, emotional, and at some points downright gruesome. If you don't like medical procedures or tons of blood, skip this one! But if you want to explore an extremely unique magic system and learn a bit about the refugee experience through fiction, this is the one for you.
Graphic: Physical abuse, Self harm, Blood, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Violence and Injury/Injury detail
theirgracegrace's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Racism, Self harm, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Dysphoria, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Police brutality, Religious bigotry, and Classism
Minor: Transphobia and Vomit
nolemdaer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
Ultimately, I didn’t find the characters particularly likable, which made it difficult to care much about them and thus the story. Firuz spent most of the time feeling guilty and spineless about something or the other, which did not endear me to them at all. (Also, apparently they're even more awkward on the page than at 1.75x speed in the audiobook—so perhaps it's good that I listened to this one.)
Graphic: Blood, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Dysphoria
jjjreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Terminal illness, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Outing, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
lbelow'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
4.75
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail