hayleyvem'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
4.0
Graphic: Eating disorder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Death, Gun violence, Blood, Gore, Grief, Toxic friendship, War, Xenophobia, and Murder
Moderate: Colonisation
Minor: Drug use and Bullying
bruisedtigers's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
The real draw for this series is the characters, which are all very real and lovable in their own ways. However, the plotting for this one, while less dense than Harrow the Ninth, was frustrating in different ways. There seems to be a delight in obscurity for obscurity's sake, despite it adding nothing to the experience of the reader or the course of the plot. Not to say reader's need everything laid out, and some things can be inferred, but after three books of a protagonist in various states of 'not fully aware of what's going on,' I can't help but feel like Muir wants to be purposefully dodgy just for the sake of it. Sometimes it seems like an excuse to vaguely infer at a bigger plot rather than clearly hash out all the complicated details. Gideon knew nothing of necromancy, so a lot of the lyctor trials were beyond her. Harrow had her brain in pieces, so her perspective couldn't be trusted. Nona is blissfully naive, so we skim over a lot of what happens around her. Sure, the reader can figure it out, but does that add to the experience or is it just annoying?
Then it ends with a sudden brevity that was absent for the rest of the leisurely developed book. We spend so long marinating in Nona, only for the climax to happen with barely twenty pages to spare. I know there's one more piece left, but it still feels strange.
I do care for the characters, so I wish we focused on them properly, rather than vaguely imply around them. There's so many exciting ideas here hovering around, but they're not focused on.
Also, far too many memes. None of them hit for me this time, even a little bit.
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Grief, War, Violence, Kidnapping, Gore, Blood, Gun violence, Body horror, and Murder
devirtualized'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
5.0
Graphic: Gore, Blood, Body horror, Grief, Cursing, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Gun violence, Kidnapping, Medical content, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, and Eating disorder
Minor: Alcohol, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts
beandream'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
5.0
Graphic: Gore
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Chronic illness, and Blood
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Grief, and Violence
mojjaroa'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: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Violence, Medical trauma, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gun violence, War, Grief, Cursing, and Confinement
mossgoblins's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Body horror, Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Self harm, Cursing, Death, Gore, Alcohol, Gun violence, Murder, War, Grief, Kidnapping, Medical content, Violence, Abandonment, and Confinement
madamenovelist'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
4.0
Graphic: Violence, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Vomit, Self harm, Murder, Genocide, Fire/Fire injury, Cursing, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Confinement, Death, Blood, and Gore
kat_ml'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? No
4.75
Graphic: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, and Body horror
Moderate: Vomit, Grief, Death, and War
Minor: Alcohol, Suicide attempt, Car accident, and Cursing
sgrunwald96'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? It's complicated
5.0
Spoiler
”Nona, noodle is in the back” just feels so true for why every depressed or suicidal person should get a petGraphic: Death
Moderate: War, Body horror, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, and Violence
jjreads331'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
Proper review to come when I have more time to think about this beyond expressing my opinions in memes.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Genocide, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Suicide, Violence, Animal death, Death, Grief, Blood, Child death, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Moderate: War, Abandonment, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Injury/Injury detail, and Toxic friendship