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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
lanid'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
Minor: Body horror, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, and Classism
charlieleelee'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
4.25
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, 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
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
emmeline's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, and Death of parent
Moderate: Blood, Medical content, and Grief