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arlorees'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
4.25
I'll say I wish the climax of the story was a bit more intense, it almost felt too easy after the build up.
On the other hand, I loved the ending. Stunning last line.
Not to mention the incredible inclusion of sign language and hard of hearing characters. Built in to the world perfectly and was such a great addition to the world building and story.
Graphic: Body horror and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Violence, Gaslighting, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
uselesspirateraven's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Violence, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Confinement and Emotional abuse
erin2802'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
4.75
Moderate: Body horror, Death, and Murder
mothiver'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
5.0
The worldbuilding is genuinely incredible, everything just hangs together so well - one of those worlds that just feels so… thought-through? Everything links together like a puzzle, and the web of causality is complex but clear. The choice to set the story years AFTER The Big Event is very interesting. It’s pretty LOTR-eque in its approach there.
Also, I loved the characters dearly, and even the ones who were shitty people I felt a lot of empathy for - that line about how the downside of being good at working out how people tick is that, once you do, you feel bad for them and don’t want them to die? That’s the experience of reading this thing.
Graphic: Body horror, Emotional abuse, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Slavery, Violence, Xenophobia, and Stalking
Minor: Ableism, Terminal illness, and Murder
velvetsilk42'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
4.5
Graphic: Toxic friendship
Moderate: Body horror and Gaslighting
Minor: Slavery
guessgreenleaf'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
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Violence, Grief, Murder, and Toxic friendship
flowingleaves'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
4.75
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Grief, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
slighte'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
3.75
Graphic: Violence and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Slavery, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Additional content warning for drowning, a fair bit of this takes place in submarines/underwaterandyyy42'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
5.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Body horror and Violence
Minor: Murder
mar_gier'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
But yeah, I don't know, I guess it's cuz I found creepy Lovecraftian sea monster-gods and evil magical purple-black not-actually-seawater more disturbing than a dark fantasy about a dark magic forest with a mind of its own. I guess the latter just felt less unnatural to me for whatever reason. (Plus, the deep ocean is super freaky.)
Even though I did enjoy it, it also kind of disturbed me the same way that Subnautica does, so I couldn't quite give it four stars. But if you like Frances Hardinge's other books, and weird, unsettling fantasy is your thing, you'll probably like this book.
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Murder, and Gaslighting