nxssistr'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
4.5
Leigh Bardugo erzählt eine Geschichte von sechs Außenseitern mit eigenen Motiven, Bedürfnissen, Traumata und Zielen. Jede Figur durchläuft ihre eigene Geschichte, kämpft gegen innere Dämonen und wird mit Schwächen konfrontiert. Dabei verliert das Buch nie an Spannung. Jedes Kapitel beginnt interessant und lässt die Lesenden mit dem Wunsch zurück, umblättern zu wollen.
Das Beziehungsgeflecht ist unheimlich interessant gestaltet, ebenso die Art wie die Charaktere Vertrauen zueinander entwickeln oder auch verlieren.
Obwohl die Kapitel von Er-Sie-Erzählperspektiven getragen werden, hat jede Figur eine eigene Erzählstimme, die zu der jeweiligen Person passt.
Ich liebe außerdem die Art der Repräsentation, die dieses Buch abbildet. Da ist der Roman ein tolles Beispiel dafür, wie gute und organische Repräsentation aussieht.
Die Handlung ist klug konzipiert. Dabei muss ich jedoch sagen, dass ich manchmal die Orientierung verloren habe, wer nun wie involviert ist und welche Aufgabe hat. Alle waren hin und wieder verwirrt, mich eingeschlossen. Am Ende haben mich die dichten Dialoge und fesselnden Szenen aber immer wieder schnell zurückgezogen.
Jetzt, wo wir die Figuren und ihre Fähigkeiten kennen (und lieben), habe ich die Hoffnung, dass Band 2 noch eine Schippe drauflegen kann. Ich bin gespannt, wo es die Figuren jetzt hinführt, nachdem sie damit konfrontiert wurden, dass das was sie immer wollten nicht zwangsweise dem entspricht, was sie tatsächlich brauchen. Es gibt neue Ziele, gelernte Lektionen und brenzlige Hindernisse und ich freue mich darauf zu erfahren, wie die Autorin diese in Crooked Kingdom verarbeitet.
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Sexism, Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Child death, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pandemic/Epidemic, Physical abuse, Racism, and Torture
kiwisandtea'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? No
5.0
Graphic: Death, Child death, Violence, Murder, Body horror, Panic attacks/disorders, and Gun violence
Moderate: Slavery, Trafficking, Religious bigotry, and Grief
Minor: Classism, Animal cruelty, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Drug use, Kidnapping, Ableism, and Child abuse
natyourusual_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Spoiler
Okay so I have one major gripe with this book and it’s the Nina/Matthias romance. He is a former witch hunter and she’s Grisha. The horrendous things we see from him and his ilk throughout the story are absolutely disgusting. He’s essentially former gestapo yet we’re supposed to be rooting for him to get with someone he was going to torture and murder on several occasions. Even after they’re into each other and they see the burnt corpses of her people, he has the audacity to say to her “have you ever considered that you were never meant to exist?” Like, I get that he “grows” and realizes that maybe everything he was taught was propaganda and wrong, but he also pulls the “killing Hitler means you’re as bad as him” argument when he stops Nina from killing his genocidal mentor. I just think a lot of that arc was not good and I hated it. Them being friends and him growing and then helping her stop more of her people being murdered by helping her end (read: kill) the main cause of that violence would have been a better arc. No romance, though, ever. I cannot stand this type of romance. </spoilerGraphic: Child death, Death, Genocide, Grief, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Cursing, and Gun violence
Moderate: Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Abandonment, Slavery, and Ableism
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, and Pandemic/Epidemic
ghoststations's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Violence, Death, and Gun violence
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Alcohol, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, War, Gore, Slavery, Trafficking, Violence, Blood, Child death, Misogyny, Racism, and Sexism
Minor: Gore, Sexual assault, Alcohol, and Blood
Casual use of the word "cripple", with the context that the books is written by a disabled author.axel_p's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Minor: Genocide, Gun violence, Racism, Trafficking, Drug abuse, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Rape, Violence, War, Xenophobia, Death, Mental illness, Misogyny, Torture, Vomit, Sexism, Abandonment, Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Confinement, Slavery, Alcohol, Body horror, Body shaming, Grief, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Medical content, and Murder
mozimmerm'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
5.0
Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Drug use, Grief, Cursing, Gun violence, Murder, Genocide, Gore, Pandemic/Epidemic, Slavery, Trafficking, Violence, and Xenophobia
Minor: Addiction, Alcohol, Blood, Abandonment, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, and Misogyny
meeklovestoread'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
4.5
Graphic: Mass/school shootings, Violence, Gun violence, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Slavery, Classism, Murder, Misogyny, Trafficking, and Medical content
Minor: War, Addiction, Blood, Ableism, and Abandonment
caitlineliza'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? No
4.5
Graphic: Classism, Medical trauma, Animal death, Abandonment, Gore, Murder, Violence, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, and War
Moderate: Drug use and Misogyny
abikatroe'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
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Child abuse, Rape, Murder, and Misogyny
yaoipaddle'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? It's complicated
4.5
positives: clever writing and well fleshed out world. characters are diverse and each feels like they have their own world going on. plot is a fun heist style so it keeps me on my toes.
negatives: sometimes it felt very hamfisted in trying to make kaz a cool guy. i just felt like he was shadow the hedgehog sorry!! also i know they grew up fast cause they had hard lives, but i still wish the characters werent teens.
read this book if you like high fantasy with some grit to it. its only a little tense and suspenseful.
Graphic: Misogyny, Kidnapping, Grief, Drug use, Ableism, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Child abuse, Gore, Violence, Sexual harassment, Gun violence, Death, Trafficking, Sexism, Murder, Body horror, Slavery, Blood, and Child death
Moderate: Sexual violence