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rhibeetle17's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.75
Graphic: Death, Murder, and War
Minor: Sexual violence
latida94's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.0
Moderate: Death, Blood, and War
ttorisaurus's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
Moderate: Death, Violence, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Confinement, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Classism
oisinthewizard's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
The characters are robust and dynamic, even in their flaws. I appreciate Yaga's flaws and limited perception of time and place, even as the daughter of a god. It takes a deft hand to write a vulnerable immortal and Salnikova Gilmore pulled it off. The landscape of Ivan the Terrible's Russia draws the reader in with its starkness and brutality. I enjoyed the found family dynamics with the Skomorokhi Knights, although sensitive readers may find the brutality of the Oprichniki to be too much. (To be fair to the author, they were far more brutal in actual history than in this fantasy novel.)
As my issues with the book are primarily with the ending, I will write them as spoilers.
I also found Vasily's story from page 340 on to be unnecessarily complicated and without proper resolution. He could have just disappeared in the war against the Lithuanian and Polish armies. To have him under some unexplained spell and then just appear, perfectly fine, at the end of the book, despite Yaga and Marina waiting for him for months in Psok makes no sense.
Selica's anger at men does not have any textual support, as it was her mother who sold her into marriage and her husband, Morozko, who supported her escape from it. On page 344, she accuses Morozko of infidelity and punishes Vasily for "Yet he is a man, and how easily they forget. She is doing Yaga a favor. Look where men have gotten Selica. Like all women, her sister is better off on her own." None of this is supported by the text. We have no evidence prior to this of Morozko having any lover other than Selica and Vasily has loyal to Yaga.
Lastly, I was very disappointed that after Selica is banished to the lands of the dead, none of the characters who were participating in brutal massacres for basically the entire book have any responsibility to their actions and in fact, appear to just stop now that the Lady of Death is gone. Do they not have any agency of their own?
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
alisonvh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Torture
leafy_literature's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Blood, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: War
imogenoakes's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
lovosii'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: Confinement, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Gun violence, Rape, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Classism
gondorgirl's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Mental illness, Misogyny, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Classism
Minor: Animal death and Fire/Fire injury
kirstym25'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
3.5
Graphic: Death, Violence, and War
Moderate: Grief and Religious bigotry
Minor: Animal death