_alyssar_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Gore, Murder, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Torture, Violence, Child abuse, Death, Child death, Death of parent, Grief, and Sexism
zcammack's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Slavery, Death, Torture, and Terminal illness
rinku's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Spoiler
It’s revealed that Keenan is the Nightbringer who thus betrayed Laia. Helene also fails her mission, leading to Marcus killing her whole family which was just so sad. Elias dies in the end as well, trying to save Darin on his own. He then becomes the soul catcher and gets revived through thisSpoiler
Izzi and Keenan cameGraphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Physical abuse, Blood, Child death, Genocide, Racism, Slavery, Terminal illness, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Animal death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, and War
Minor: Sexual harassment
sarahsbookss'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
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Blood, Confinement, Death, Grief, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Slavery, Terminal illness, and Violence
nabecker13's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Classism, Grief, Police brutality, Rape, Slavery, Torture, Body horror, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Terminal illness, Violence, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Murder, and Kidnapping
veeronald'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? No
Graphic: War, Chronic illness, Colonisation, Slavery, Abandonment, Classism, Confinement, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Genocide, Murder, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Police brutality, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Grief, and Kidnapping
Minor: Sexism, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, Vomit, Sexual content, Stalking, Death of parent, Drug use, Emotional abuse, and Misogyny
bookishchef's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I still dislike the romance(s) in this series.
The last few chapters were amazing though.
Spoiler
Random spoilers thoughts:I did not see any of the plottwists coming. It felt like I could have never known the Keenan plottwist anyway, which is a bit of a shame.
The plot twist with the Keris coup, was more of a puzzle that you could figure out if you were paying attention. So, I enjoyed that one more.
HATED how Harper suddenly turns out to be Elias's half brother though. Helene can't have Elias so we'll stick her with the closest thing she can genetically get? Nah. Not a fan.
Unfortunately, the romances that are more than just set-up aren't much better. The Keenan vs. Elias thing doesn't work at all when you know there is no chance in hell Laia would ever pick Keenan in the end. Sure, she might bang him in a shed, but they're not going to end up happily ever after. Everyone can tell that Elias x Laia is set up to be endgame.
The love triangle added no tension. Which made the parts with Keenan and Laia feel tedious because I was just there like 'omg Laia, when are you going to stop being distracted by this redhead and get back to the plot already?' And then the non existent tension is shattered even more by the Keenan plottwist... It makes Laia and Keenan's entire flirtationship redundant.
I don't get the point of it. Their flirtationship adds so little too the book. Just slows down the plot by a lot.
I thought Livia responded a bit too okay to her family being brutally murdered in front of her. She doesn't blame Helene for anything? At all? Seems improbable but okay.
What's up with Marcus btw? Book 1 and the beginning of this book do everything in their power to make him seem hella incapable, but then suddenly at the end of this book, he turns out to be balancing a coup, an army, dozens of Gens and their families, Helene and her gang, and the ghost of his dead brother? Is he smart or dumb? Clarity pls. (Also we love demonizing mental health issues 😩).
Also doesn't Elias's plot directly go against what the fortune tellers (whose names I have already forgotten) predicted in book 1? They predicted he would be truly free? But now he's bound to this literal Limbo. That doesn't sound like freedom to me.
Also the "desire is what makes us human", makes me, an asexual, want to strangle something.
Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Classism, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Grief, Murder, Violence, War, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Torture, Terminal illness, and Slavery
lainiereads's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I know people love Helene and like,, I get that she isn't a truly bad person and I don't HATE her, but I'm still waiting for something to make me actually like her. I'm sure she will probably be more lovable in the next one, and I am all for a flawed character, but I just don't really get it yet.
Elias has only gotten better, oh my god I LOVE HIM!!! He is just such a good person that even when he does annoying things, he is still great. You always know that he is going to feel remorse for the bad things he has done, and he will try to make it right however he can.
I had absolutely no idea what plot twists were ahead of me as I read this book, and I was constantly being shocked by everything! Sabaa Tahir has that perfect way of storybuilding that makes you want to immediately reread everything to see all of the hints that you missed.
I also really love Tahir's writing because she is able to constantly keep the reader hooked. At times, I caught myself seriously reflecting on what I had read hours before, and I just wanted to pick up the book again and again. This is especially impressive given how depressing this series can be. I don't usually look forward to reading things that I know will be painful, so the fact that this book is able to make me excited to read more is crazy.
I am scared for the pain to come, but obviously I have to keep reading, I just love these characters so much :')
Graphic: Violence, Torture, Terminal illness, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Genocide, Emotional abuse, Murder, Sexism, Misogyny, Death, Child abuse, and Blood
Moderate: Slavery, Fire/Fire injury, and Physical abuse
Minor: Animal death and Death of parent
clea'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
I found it difficult to immerse myself fully into the story until about one third of the book. But then the suspense increased, the stakes got higher and the conflicts intensified, which led to a more engaging read.
My only complaint is that I don't find the villains very intimidating anymore. Most of the time we only hear about the Commandant's cruel actions and we hardly get to experience them. I think this would have added a deeper emotional aspect to the absolutely horrendous things happening in this story.
Especially the Nightbringer lost some of his fearsomeness he had in the first book.
Spoiler
But I am relieved that the love triangle got resolved so early in the series and I think the way Tahir did it was very clever and brought some freshness into the (in my opinion) overused love-triangle-trope.Graphic: Genocide, Violence, Torture, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Terminal illness, Slavery, Sexism, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, and Child abuse
Minor: Confinement
vale_reading'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? No
5.0
Graphic: Genocide, Gore, Torture, Murder, Child death, War, Trafficking, Xenophobia, Slavery, and Violence
Moderate: Vomit and Terminal illness