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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
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
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
cookiecat73'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? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Religious bigotry, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Acephobia/Arophobia, Abandonment, and Classism
tamara_joy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Genocide and War
Moderate: Death, Blood, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Mental illness, Miscarriage, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Pregnancy
pvbobrien's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Graphic: Death, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Pregnancy, and War
Minor: Mental illness, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
rhi_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Moderate: Death, Violence, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Torture, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury
eegekay's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Child death, Death, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and War