talonsontypewriters'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? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Death of parent, Gun violence, Death, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Abandonment, Child abuse, and Kidnapping
Minor: Lesbophobia, Drug use, War, Misogyny, Sexism, Homophobia, Sexual harassment, Animal death, and Alcohol
plumpaperbacks'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? No
4.5
Representation:
- sapphic Chinese protagonist
- sapphic Vietnamese love interest
- full Asian cast (includes Chinese, Vietnamese, Nepalese, Korean, Thai & Arabic rep)
- sapphic main couple
- achillean side couple
Graphic: Violence, Death of parent, and Death
Moderate: Homophobia
Contains three instances of parent death—one prior to the story but mentioned throughout, two on-page. Also contains discussions of homophobia in a historical context.beholderess's review
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
Moderate: Death of parent and Death
Minor: Homophobia
astridsbookishlife'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
3.5
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Blood, Homophobia, and Murder
Minor: Sexism and Misogyny
shaipanda'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? No
4.25
I did feel like it was a bit rushed at times and it was a lot of story to fit into one book but overall I really liked it :)
Edit: had to dock it a bit from 4.75 to 4.25 cause I remember very little lol but I did really enjoy it and I remember liking the characters a lot
Graphic: Death of parent, Violence, Death, Murder, and Abandonment
Moderate: Blood and Homophobia
mandkips'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
3.75
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse, Homophobia, and Blood
Minor: Sexism, Misogyny, and Sexual assault
ladythana'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? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Violence and Death of parent
Minor: Homophobia and Misogyny
sma_tsol06's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Violence
Minor: Sexual assault, Sexism, Misogyny, and Homophobia
allie_schick's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Moderate: Death and Homophobia
alouette'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? Yes
4.75
another big bonus is that this book actually does travel scenes well! a lot of books, especially historical fiction, can turn the periods during which characters are travelling for an extended time into a slog. but in this case, the pacing felt very smooth.
the twist was very obvious and some of the character motivations very questionable, thus some points off on my star rating, but this is still a novel that i adored. :)
Graphic: Blood, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Child abuse and Violence
Minor: Homophobia and Misogyny