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tokaylamockingbird's review against another edition
3.5
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Death of parent
Minor: Animal death and Child death
evbyrd's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Blood, and Death of parent
blewballoon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
The writing style reminded me of Sabriel by Garth Nix, which is nice, but that style doesn't help when the text is fairly repetitive and the book is mostly predictable.
I'm trying not to be too harsh, but there really isn't much I liked, despite wanting to like it and having high hopes for it. It has elements that sort of reminded me of other books I do like, but as if I only got the seltzer drink wisp of flavor of the real fruit. I don't even mind when stories are predictable and characters are a bit cliche as long as the book is still immersive and fun to read, but I didn't have much fun with this. I didn't hate it, though. For me, the book was a lot of death and dullness, and it's the combination of sad/bored that risks putting me into a reading slump if I don't find something good to snap me out of it. I will say the audiobook narrator is very good, but I kept speeding the poor man up (I think I finished on 1.6 speed) because I wanted it to be over.
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Confinement, Torture, Death of parent, and War
Minor: Body horror and Child death
cait'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
Minor: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Racism, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
spooderman's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Pedophilia, Racism, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Trafficking, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Homophobia, Incest, Infidelity, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Outing, and Abandonment
aexileigh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Genocide, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, War, and Classism
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Racism, Torture, and Toxic relationship
bugcollector'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? Yes
4.0
and when is the next one coming out đšđ
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
freckled_frog_boi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Torture, Violence, and Death of parent
Moderate: Death of parent and Abandonment
Minor: Bullying, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
nirelocin's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Torture, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and War
Moderate: Child death and Toxic relationship
samchase112's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Even under the guise of an overcomplicated fantasy world and endless description of said world and each of its ultimately useless facets, CS Pacat is still a master of tension and romance. And that is the reason I come back to her books again and again.
A good chunk of the book (read: ~80%) is a lot of explaining and confusing details, and I really was not enjoying my time with it. The whole old world/new world and the Stewards as a community were a lot to take in, and honestly it didn't even matter much by the end; I just didn't really care about them or their purpose. And do I really need to? (Honestly, the smaller-scale political battles of CaPri felt more intense and important than the big world struggles of this one.) Violet is badass, and I already love Will. James has such potential, and unfortunately he was barely in this first installment. But once we get to the real twists, the real meat of the story, in the last 20% or so, this book becomes a CS Pacat book. Just as in Captive Prince, this first book is mainly a set up for the epicness that will (hopefully) be the rest of the trilogy. I cannot wait for the sequel to be released!
Reread October 2023
Second reading: unquestionably better than the first! Knowing all the world-building to come, I was able to fully immerse myself in the story and world, and it was glorious. The characters were captivating, the story relentless, and the intrigue top-notch. I was absolutely enthralled.
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Torture, Violence, Blood, and Death of parent
Moderate: Genocide, Slavery, Grief, and War
Minor: Vomit