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riverstrongblood'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
I'm not one for spoilers in book reviews but I have never regarded a book more highly than this. And I am so appreciative for authors who are writing queer and ethnically diverse books. It's rare. A breath of fresh air against the bland, white, straight canopy that fantasy has been for so long.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Lesbophobia, Outing, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Cannibalism
sn8man's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
alexijai98'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? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Alcoholism, Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Murder, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Rape and Sexual violence
Minor: Homophobia
salted07's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Torture, Toxic relationship, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Colonisation, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Torture
anjasshelf'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
4.5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, and Classism
Moderate: Rape
embee007's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
I feel like there was a bit of a lull towards the end? Or the action was weird? Or maybe that was just me. (first full book I read with Covid) But the ending mostly made up for it. I'm definitely interested in reading book 2, at some point this year.
"There’s freedom in stories, you know. We read them and we become something else. We imagine different lives, and while we turn the pages, we get to live them. To escape the lot we’ve been given.”
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Rape, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Murder, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
scrubsandbooks'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
3.5
The world-building left me a bit confused especially when it came to the magic system. I feel like a lot of it was just glossed over and there could have been an extra chapter or two invested in explaining or showing more of it. But I believe there's either a sequel or companion novel to this story in the works and I would definitely recommend this book and will give the next one a read for sure.
Graphic: Slavery, Torture, Violence, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Confinement and Sexual assault
decembera's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Mind the content warnings. This was significantly more graphic than I expected from a YA book.
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Murder, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Excrement, Lesbophobia, Outing, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Dysphoria
crykea'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? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, Rape, Blood, Kidnapping, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
xoemax'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
4.25
This book covers some amazing social topics, and in my opinion has some great LGBTQIA+ representation, intersectionality, and an exploration of gender diversity/fluidity. I appreciated the nuances and consideration with how Florian/Flora was written, with varying pronouns depending on context/viewpoint. I think it's important not to get caught up expecting characters to always have everything figured out from the start, especially when they themselves are coming to terms with and discovering their own identity. So for me this felt like a very wholesome, honest and positive exploration of how it feels to explore gender and sexuality as a young person.
The book is relatively fast paced, I will say. And from that I can see where the criticism of the story and characters feeling unresolved by the end comes from. I like to think I have an active imagination, so this I'm lucky wasn't too much of a deterrent for me. Part 2 of the book in particular with
Overall: an enjoyable and fun read, with the beginnings of some great world building, emotional, and featured themes I'd definitely like to read more of.
Graphic: Torture, Violence, Murder, Colonisation, and Classism
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, Trafficking, Lesbophobia, Alcohol, and War
Minor: Child death, Confinement, Gore, Homophobia, Slavery, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, and Abandonment