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mgdmcc's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Minor: Ableism, Sexual assault, Violence, Vomit, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Colonisation, War, and Classism
merrow'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
4.75
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Ableism, Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
mrsalexisrjones'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
4.75
Graphic: Gore, Torture, and Medical content
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Medical trauma, and War
Minor: Sexual assault, Suicide, Stalking, and Pregnancy
tiredtori's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Toxic friendship, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Death, Mental illness, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicide, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
aksmith92'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
Set up: The main characters are thrown into every direction as war breaks out between citizens and the infamous Vlag. Empire of Storms follows Aelin, Rowan, Dorian, Manon, Lysandra, Aedion, Elide, Lorcan, and others we know and love. Tower of Dawn follows Chaol and Nesryn as they trek to the southern continent to, hopefully, gain support from the kaghan there in the upcoming war. Also, to see if they can get Chaol walking again. In this book, we meet Yrene again after briefly meeting her in The Assassin's Blade.
What I liked: Lysandra. I also enjoyed Elide's and Lorcan's characters. I liked their romance. Theirs didn't feel forced per se, but their POVs were sometimes redundant. Finally, I was invested in this plot. I wanted to see how SJM wove in all the moving pieces and how it would end. I was invested. I didn't see TOO many plot holes. This is some decent high fantasy plotting.
What I didn't like: Aelin. Always. She's so annoying, even if she spouts some funnies occasionally. I didn't enjoy Rowan and Aelin either. "Just bang!" I would say throughout this novel, and THEN they did, and I was underwhelmed. Something about velvet-strapped steel also just....yuck.
"She really tortured them, she realized, by shoving her way into danger whenever she felt like it. Perhaps she'd try to be better about it if this dread was at all like what they felt." LOL, yeah, AELIN.
This (these) book(s) also did teeter on the ROMANCE scale so much. I was finally glad not to have a love triangle anymore, and thankfully, those (kinda) went away, but everybody is paired with somebody. I'm not sure why it annoyed me because I've read other books where this happens (Roots of Chaos - Samantha Shannon), but I don't think anybody quite hypes it up and makes it a considerable plot point like SJM. I also wished I counted how many kisses characters gave at the "corners of mouths."
"She thought of the new, delicate scars on his back - marks from her own nails (*cough* sex *cough*), that he'd refused to heal with his magic, and instead had set with seawater, the salt locking the scars into place before the immortal body could smooth it over. Her claiming marks, he'd breathed into her mouth the last time he'd been inside her. So he and anyone who saw them would know that he belonged to her. That he was hers, just as she was his." WHAT. First. What? Second. How would people look at his back and be like THOSE ARE FROM F'in! Third. What. Fourth. The dramatics. Fifth. What. Lastly, they can do that with salt water? Since freaking when? This internal monologue was also the start of a BATTLE IN WAR. Lol. Just lol.
Lastly, there is a plethora of toxic perseverance and the glorification of war, which is something I must get used to with SJM writing. In addition [I'm putting a spoiler on this just in case], but
Overall, though, it was fine. This was a solid read (reads). However, I have officially decided that my TBR is too long for any more SJM. I will finish this series with Kingdom of Ash, and I will stop reading her works. Fated mates, toxic perseverance, and unnecessary romanticism of war simply isn't for me and I will officially put the books down after.
Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Chronic illness, Cursing, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting
Minor: Suicide
Suicide is mentioned but not talked about in detail (Tower of Dawn)annamary54'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
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Drug use, Gore, Mental illness, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual assault and War
sierrabowers's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
aileron'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
3.0
Graphic: Death, Medical content, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Ableism, Gore, Violence, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Pregnancy, and War
imds's review against another edition
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Ableism, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Colonisation, and War
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, and Slavery
nerdkitten'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
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Cursing, Drug use, Mental illness, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Racism, Sexual content, Blood, Stalking, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and War
Minor: Body horror, Bullying, Chronic illness, Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicide, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Classism