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annakh16's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- 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
4.5
Well, what can I say? I loved it. Forgive the long review, but I want to gush for a minute.
The pacing has improved a lot from the last book. I think this is partly due to each character getting more individual narration - they all got their due this time, other than Ling and Henry, but since they were the MCs of the last book it seemed only fair. I loved the asexual rep for Ling though.
And the characters? They’re all my favourite. The banter between Sam and Jericho was hilarious. Memphis is truly a man after my own heart (“What, you don’t have a favourite librarian?!“). Isaiah is the sweetest as always, and if anyone hurts either of them, I‘m gonna fucking riot. That “dark future“ the King of Crows was hinting at? Nothing doing. I simply won’t allow it . Theta was great in this one, her story all heartbreaking and harrowing and powerful. Evie is more mature at last (I must admit I have a sweet spot for her). TS Woodhouse is randomly funny and I‘m here for it.
There seems to be a dislike for Mabel in this review section and I don’t get it, maybe because I relate to her a bit. I enjoyed her storyline this book and though she was always a likely character to die, she went out with a bang (see what I did there?). I‘m glad Bray did her justice .
Lastly, Bray never misses with new characters and Connor was no exception. His story had me right in the feels. @Libba Bray: You had no right to kill him off like that. You had no right! (His and Will‘s death did seem slightly rushed, but the rapid succession also made for good tension) .
I love the fact that there were multiple villains, all bound up in the larger scheme but with very different motives.
The King of Crows being a metaphor for the “ghosts“ of America ? What a great idea, and well in line with the respect for diverse histories throughout this series.
Bill Johnson‘s arc was really interesting, too. Moving back and forth between pity and disgust for him. I audibly gasped when it was revealed he was only 37 years old! .
I was happy most key revelations came earlier in the book, as I‘d guessed most of them already. Was I the only one convinced though that Sarah from Nebraska was Sarah Snow ?
I heard that the last book in this series was a bit of a let down, and I really hope that’s not true. I‘m very curious how the cliff hanger and all the tension from the end will be resolved and am really looking forward to it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Xenophobia, and Murder
Minor: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Slavery, Police brutality, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Deportation
There are hints at child sexual abuse (by a priest), experienced by the character Connor, but this is never made explicit or discussed in detail. There is attempted sexual assault. There is also a memory of Theta being assaulted by Roy, written in second person (as in, you the reader feel like this or that).larareads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Antisemitism, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Alcohol
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, Murder, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
emilyplun's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Kidnapping, and Murder
Moderate: Ableism, Mental illness, Police brutality, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Gun violence, Homophobia, Slavery, Death of parent, and Alcohol
genny's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- 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
4.25
Whew, okay, how do I review this one? It was much more somber than I anticipated. This time there's no big mystery at the forefront, so while I'm glad we're finally seeing more of the whole "King of Crows" business, I feel like this lacked the structure (and whimsy) of the first two books. The revelations about Project Buffalo felt like a punch to the gut, and my opinions about certain characters went through a rollercoaster (looking at you, Bill Johnson!).
In other words: this hurt my heart. I loved that we finally got to see more of Mabel's perspective, though this did feel detached from the rest of the story. Her struggle with morality as she fights the good fight? How she both missed and resented Evie, and all that she represented? So good. I'm a little bitter that we won't see how she could've reconciled these inner conflicts.Because, if you clicked on this and thus aren't afraid of spoilers, she dies. Holding the hand of a person who, for all his faults, really did love her. Again: ow, my heart. Bray just straight up killed main characters in the last 10% of the book, damn! I don't even know how to feel about Jericho anymore (do read the content warnings...). That's not to say that everything's doom and gloom! We still get plenty of humor and the beautiful friendships between the cast (and Theta being a badass). As always, Sam's romance with Evie was a personal highlight.
I listened to the audiobook - amazing voice work, as expected. I will likely reread the entire series in print one day. I'm a bit scared of book 4 because I've heard its the weakest, and that's never a good thing to hear about a series' conclusion.
In other words: this hurt my heart. I loved that we finally got to see more of Mabel's perspective, though this did feel detached from the rest of the story. Her struggle with morality as she fights the good fight? How she both missed and resented Evie, and all that she represented? So good. I'm a little bitter that we won't see how she could've reconciled these inner conflicts.
I listened to the audiobook - amazing voice work, as expected. I will likely reread the entire series in print one day. I'm a bit scared of book 4 because I've heard its the weakest, and that's never a good thing to hear about a series' conclusion.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Stalking, and Murder
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Racism, Police brutality, and Antisemitism
Minor: Ableism, Cancer, Homophobia, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Eugenics is discussed multiple times, with proponents advocating for racist, homophobic, and ableist beliefs. A character gets threatening messages from their abuser, who eventually tracks them down and acts controlling/threatening. Two female characters are forcefully kissed; one scene is more graphic, as the woman is attacked and held down. The diviners visit an asylum; some patients are there willingly, some aren't. A character shares that their mother suffered from a mental illness. Another character reminisces about their mother dying from cancer.
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