natyourusual_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Spoiler
(I really wanted him to just be a misunderstood antihero or to have a better goal overall to make him a justifiable villain but he’s just evil for evil’s sake and I don’t like that for him)Graphic: Animal death and Gore
Moderate: Death and Violence
Minor: Classism, Sexual assault, War, and Chronic illness
noras_library'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
4.5
Graphic: Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Violence, Death, Gore, Slavery, Murder, Blood, and Animal death
Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual violence, Death of parent, Child death, and War
Minor: Sexual content
lovejasmine's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Colonisation, Grief, Blood, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, Death, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Gore, Gun violence, Murder, and Physical abuse
jguerrera77's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Gore and Blood
onalark's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Violence, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Sexual harassment, War, and Gore
Minor: Torture and Death
talonsontypewriters'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Murder, Emotional abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Gun violence, War, Abandonment, Body horror, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, Grief, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcohol, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Death of parent, Racism, and Xenophobia
Relationship (explicitly unhealthy/abusive) between teenager and character who appears around the same age, but is 100+.bookedandbusy'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? No
5.0
Graphic: War, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Animal death
trintrin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I don't understand why people love to hate on Mal, I found him perfectly fine. Maybe a little possessive at times but nothing other than that. Apart from the fact that Alina needed a man to feel like she belonged somewhere, I didn't find anything wrong with her either. And I finally understand the appeal of the Darkling lol although I don't really ship Darklina.
The world-building is so rich and that's why I wish I read this before SoC because so many things that I previously found confusing suddenly finally made sense to me, I felt like I opened a third-eye or something. I really loved seeing the fantastical side of the Grishaverse rather than just the heist-y side. I'd love to read more about the Grisha folklore, the Saints and all that good stuff.
As for Leigh's writing style, it's certainly not as breathtaking as I know it would be in her future books but it's still pretty solid. The first person POV felt weird for the first chapter but I got used to it after that. Her story-telling is still very good. This was certainly a page-turner, I binged it in one day and the only other book I'd binged in one day is Crooked Kingdom so it's all very fitting :D
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Animal death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Blood, and Violence
Moderate: Eating disorder, Gore, and Murder
Minor: Alcohol and Death of parent
cucubmer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
While the characters aren't particularly special or complicated, I enjoyed the way they interacted with the world. The word building is easily digestible, while still presenting a unique magic system.
I have yet to read the other books in this trilogy (or the other series in this universe), but I still really enjoyed this story!
Minor: Gore
onefineelephant's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Alcohol, Blood, Classism, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Genocide, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, and War
Minor: Sexual harassment, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Self harm and suicidal ideation are mentioned but not acted on. Also, there is an attempted sexual assault but it does not progress further.