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katie0528'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? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
anjens's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Moderate: Bullying, Physical abuse, Racism, and Kidnapping
Minor: Body shaming
noellegrace8'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? No
5.0
Character-wise, I love me a lost, oblivious ENTP finding their strength and healing, and that's just what Miri is. She's a loveable character with plenty to offer her little side of the world (and maybe even beyond those borders). She's inspiring and works toward bettering herself always.
Plot-wise, how could a person not love this little story? It's one of those ones that seems to pull on traditional "princess"/monarchy rules but manages to make it completely fresh. It is a bit juvenile in some areas, but I can't dock anything off of its star rating for that, because it is clearly middle-grade fiction. It's *supposed* to have some silly dialogue, lack of proper interpersonal communication in relationships, cut-and-dry motivations and developments, and a 14-year-old kid who is somehow more intelligent than her village elders. Lol. Altogether, such a worthwhile read.
I don't factor audiobook performance into the overall star rating of a book, but I give this cast a general 3/5 ⭐ for their narration. Honestly, this sounded a lot like free LibriVox recordings. The performers were void of emotion, except when they were swinging the opposite way and had too much, cheesy emotion in their tones. And these supposedly teenage characters sounded like 8- to 12-year-olds. It was just... not good. Additionally, why did they keep saying pay-der instead of pete-er?? I never imagined that, just because it was spelled with a D instead of a T, it would be pronounced any differently...
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Physical abuse, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Ableism, Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Torture, Xenophobia, Blood, Excrement, Medical content, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Colonisation
ieatbooks_'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? No
4.0
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Child abuse and Kidnapping
thelilgriffin'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? No
5.0
Moderate: Emotional abuse
Minor: Kidnapping
rokinjaguar'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? No
5.0
Moderate: Kidnapping and Death of parent
Minor: Confinement and Death
khi33's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Minor: Fatphobia, Kidnapping, and Death of parent
meganpbennett'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? Yes
3.5
It's hard to rate because it doesn't end the way I expected it to end, and I'm not sure if I like how it ends.
Graphic: Bullying and Confinement
Moderate: Physical abuse, Violence, Vomit, and Kidnapping
Minor: Death of parent
veronicachp's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I found it very well written, and not bland in the way that a lot of books obviously aimed at children can be for adult readers. I was genuinely very invested, and on the edge of my seat at some parts. I think the main thing I loved about this book is how tangible Miri's growth is throughout the novel, you can really feel her growing up and developing as a character, and as an official twentysomething it brought back a surprising amount of nostalgia for my own early teens, my first crush, my first big social event, etc. Even characters who are only mentioned occasionally through the book feel like real, fully fleshed out people, and the worldbuilding and sense of community in the story are wonderful. Needless to say, this one's going back on my bookshelf, not to the donate pile.
Minor: Violence and Kidnapping
erniedresser'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
Moderate: Bullying, Violence, and Vomit
Minor: Kidnapping and Death of parent