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nexon'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
3.5
I liked most of the main characters and enjoyed the nuance to side ones, rather than a strictly defined "good/bad" like a lot of fantasy novels. The plot also kept me intrigued and I honestly was not sure which way it would go.
One thing I didn't like was Cassa. She was just an extremely irritating character, and the best chapters were the ones without her involved. Unfortunately, those were few and far between. I understand why she was driven to do what she did, but her personality seriously grated me. I spent half the book hoping she would die.
Additionally, it was kind of... awkward when the characters straight up stated their sexuality. The representation is nice, but I feel like the labels we use in real life don't translate that well to fantasy worlds. Forgive me for making the comparison again, but imo Six of Crows is a great example of how to handle such things.
A smaller pet peeve I had is that there were several sentences that ended with the word "though" without using a comma. They came up enough to be annoying and somewhat immersion-breaking, at least for me.
Overall, I think it's worth the read if you just want to enjoy a standalone adventure without getting too invested in the world.
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Child abuse
dlrosebyh's review
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Death and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Child abuse, Gun violence, and Blood
Minor: Addiction and Body horror
thebakersbooks's review
- 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
Government corruption, classism, and fighting injustice are main themes of the story. The setting and "magic" system play into these power imbalances, but much of the commentary is beautifully and horrifically applicable to real life. It was also nice that while the book mirrors life in some ways, there is no mention of racism or homophobia in-world. Race never really comes up, and three of the five main characters are queer but never discriminated against because of that. However, one of the characters has a condition reminiscent of EDS, and it's heavily implied that his (off-page) mistreatment at his father's hands is at least partially because of this.
I highly recommend this book to fans of fantasy and anyone looking for a high-stakes heist story featuring a constantly arguing but close-knit friend group. Beneath the Citadel is a new favorite for sure, and I'm off to add Soria's other books to my TBR!
content warnings: mention of parents' deaths; mention of child abuse (physical and emotional)
Minor: Child abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, and Death of parent
elwirax'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
• The representation!
Alys- plus size, PoC, asexual, suffers from anxiety/ panic attacks (I related to her the most)
Cassa- PoC (annoying at times but she kinda grew on me as the story progressed)
Evander- Bisexual, PoC (absolutely loved his personality)
Newt- Gay (what a sweetheart, I wish he was more present as a main character though)
• Truth be told I loved all the characters so I can't even pick a favourite.
• Loved the atmosphere and witty characters.
• I appreciated that their sexualities were actually stated on paper, made me connect with Aly's character that much more
• Quenched my need for a book like Six of Crows. You can definitely see the strong similarities between "Beneath the Citadel" and "Six of Crows" but this just added to my personal enjoyment.
Cons:
• There were certain aspect the author kept repeating throughout the book which after a while got tieresome.
• The relationships weren't as established as I'd hoped, even the brother/ sister bond didn't seem to be all that strong.
• Wasn't as dark as I'd hoped but I suppose that's a personal preference
• Although there were meant to be high stakes I didn't really feel them all that much
• I want to know what the thing in the lake was
Overall, I really enjoyed this, it wasn't perfect but it had a great group of characters and an atmospheric setting which made it difficult to put down. Recommend to Six of Crows fans.
Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Death of parent
Moderate: Child abuse and Blood
Minor: Addiction
emily_mh'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
4.25
The only reason this isn't a five star read is that the beginning is quite jarring, which had far-reaching consequences. You're dumped in the deep end where the group of rebels have known each other for years and have been caught infiltrating the Citadel, which means the action begins right away before you get the chance to understand the characters and their relationships, which are already fully formed without your observance. It made me feel quite disconnected from them for a large part of the book and as such I couldn't give it 5 stars in the end.
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Murder
Minor: Addiction, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual content, Torture, Excrement, Vomit, and Alcohol
aseel_reads's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, and Death of parent
Moderate: Blood and Grief
skypotion'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
4.0
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Child abuse
toopunkrockforshul'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: Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Dementia, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Torture, Blood, and Police brutality
angelareads's review
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Gun violence, Blood, and Dementia
Minor: Addiction