Reviews tagging 'War'

A Desolation Called Peace: A Texicalaan Novel 2 by Arkady Martine

29 reviews

starlitpage's review against another edition

adventurous emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Death, and Violence

Moderate: Sexual content, Body horror, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, and Alcohol

Minor: Grief, Vomit, Cursing, and Colonisation

illtakethenightshiftx's review against another edition

adventurous reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I absolutely loved the world building and new characters that were introduced in this novel, especially Eight Antidote. His insights were fresh and wise beyond his years. I found everyone’s individual story compelling and what their role is in this political war in alien space.

This novel expanded on the themes explored in A Memory Called Empire, but with ‘aliens,’ a first contact situation, and spies. I really enjoyed the first contact scenes and the subsequent events and fallout from various alliances and decisions made by characters both back in the City and on the spaceships. 

This series also explores hive minds, AI, and algorithms and how they run the City, which is something I find extremely interesting, especially since we live in an age where algorithms (and soon AI) control almost everything we come into contact with in digital spaces. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: War

Moderate: Xenophobia

pocket's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• 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? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Colonisation, Violence, Genocide, and Vomit

Moderate: Sexual content

amandadevoursbooks's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• 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? No

4.25

I loved a memory called empire. This is a strong second to that book. We follow our main characters plus a couple more points of view, Maheet and Three Seagrass, that are introduced to this book. I don't want to spoil the end of the first book so I'm going to keep this pretty high level.

After the events of the first book, maheet desmar returns to the station and with the corrupted imago in her head. She has no friends on the station and is immediately embroiled in a battle of wits to keep herself and her imago line alive.

Three seagrass receives an emergency communicate, and she decides to answer it as a translator. Maheet is the linguist so she sidetracks through the station to pick her up and head to the front line of a war.

I loved this book. I loved revisiting the old characters. I liked the new points of view that were introduced. I also enjoyed the complexity of the culture of stationers and the empire.

This book continues to examine how The empire perceives everyone outside of it as not human. The aliens speak in a way that is totally different than how humans speak and the empire struggles with seeing them as thinking beings.

It's another ride of courtly politics and political intrigue. It adds a couple of new theaters. Overall, it was enjoyable, it was satisfying, and I'm really glad I read it. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: War and Grief

fraxisle's review against another edition

mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• 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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Murder, Death, Grief, Sexual content, Violence, Xenophobia, and Blood

Moderate: Vomit, Gun violence, Stalking, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, and Genocide

gaki's review against another edition

adventurous challenging medium-paced

• 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

4.25

As the follow-up to Memory of Empire, I couldn't help but feel disappointed. Overall fine to read. It shifted from the wonderful world building of the first book to an almost-botched first encounter scenario, so the focus was odd.  

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: War and Xenophobia

indeedithappens's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• 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

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Alcohol, Classism, Death of parent, Blood, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Colonisation, Death, Deportation, Pandemic/Epidemic, Genocide, Gun violence, Medical content, Self harm, Stalking, Violence, Vomit, Gore, Grief, Murder, Sexual content, War, and Xenophobia

kseret's review against another edition

adventurous challenging hopeful mysterious medium-paced

• 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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror

Moderate: Vomit, War, Violence, and Colonisation

Minor: Injury/Injury detail and Grief

sunday_evening's review against another edition

adventurous challenging funny reflective tense medium-paced

• 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

An incredible sequel and great close to the series. I can’t rate it 5 stars though because the beginning DRAGGED. It felt like the plot was moving at glacier-speed.
But once Three Seagrass and Mahit made it onto Wait for the Wheel, we hit the ground running. The rest was very well paced. I love Three Seagrass but at the same time she makes me want to rip my hair out.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, War, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Violence and Genocide

Minor: Injury/Injury detail

atalea's review against another edition

adventurous challenging mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Genocide, Vomit, Xenophobia, Sexual content, and War