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arbitrary_convenience's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
But it’s so exciting every time I pick it up. And I get so hype seeing what happens next.
Graphic: Bullying, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Alcoholism and Domestic abuse
dryhop'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
4.0
Gwynne does not muck about with his words. Chapters can be rather short, almost thriller novel short at times. I am just finishing the 5th book in the Wheel of Time and there was almost half a chapter of description in that book to let you know that the servants wore black livery. In that span, Gwynne would have moved the plots forward with two of his characters in as many chapters. This is more an observation than a pro or a con, but I did find it refreshing by comparison and you really feel like you're plowing through the book as you burn through the shorter chapters. The stakes are real and characters can die. They may not be as at risk as Game of Thrones characters, but there are definitely consequences to actions other than a sternly worded rebuke. In particular, the last probably 15% of the book or so really plows forward in action and a lot changes in that time. I also tended to care about most of the viewpoint characters and didn't feel like I had to slog through a chapter for a character I didn't really like, a problem I am running into with WoT.
For some criticism, it starts out slow. There's a lot of characters and locations to introduce and it takes awhile before I personally started to really feel invested and for the characters to start to feel different. In particular, Veradis and Kastell were vary samey to me for a bit and Camlin pops infrequently enough that at one point I had to stop and slip back chapters to remember who he even was. So be wary if you're a much more limited viewpoint type of person. By the end I had no problem but there was some time in the beginning and middle where I had to do a little work. I personally also found a weird inconsistency with scale. It felt like it could take weeks or so to get somewhere and then they could turn around and walk back in a couple days. Maybe I didn't follow close enough, but it struck me a couple of times.
Overall, I am excited to continue this series and it acts as the perfect counterpoint to the WoT as I reread that. Characters all feel reasonably motivated to be doing what they're doing, there's real stakes, and a big canvas with lots of things happening. It gives me very Games of Thrones vibes while still being its own thing. An interesting note, this book might be the book that I have accidentally purchased the most physical copies of, buying it twice on accident and a third time as part of a boxed set of all four books. There's a lot going on, but I recommend this book.
Graphic: Violence and Blood
ripxreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Torture, Death of parent, and War
Minor: Alcoholism
kat1105'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
4.75
Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail
ocean_the_reader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I felt a lot of things while reading and I just love these characters so much. I can't wait to get to the rest of the series. Especially since I don't remember what happens next.
It took a while for me to actually get invested in this one. But when I did, I didn't want to put it down. I'm very intrigued to see what everyone's roles end up being.
And I definitely don't trust those Vin Thalun people. They're up to something that seems will benefit only them and will cause a lot of damage.
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol
t_higgsreviews's review against another edition
4.0
CAWPILE = 7.07
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Vomit
darkefyres'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
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and War
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Child death, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Physical abuse, Torture, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
binches'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
2.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, and War
Moderate: Ableism and Sexism
Minor: Alcoholism
kerttuli'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? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gore, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Kidnapping, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child death, Physical abuse, and Kidnapping
jaedia'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? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, and Violence
Moderate: Death, Sexism, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Genocide, Self harm, Terminal illness, Torture, Medical trauma, and Fire/Fire injury