grishaperson42's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Trafficking, Slavery, and Death
Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, and Gun violence
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
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
evie_1106'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? No
4.75
Graphic: Gun violence, Slavery, Drug use, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
Minor: Torture, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Addiction
inejsknives'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
Graphic: Grief, Ableism, Murder, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Violence, Death of parent, and Mental illness
Moderate: Addiction, Abandonment, Sexual assault, and Slavery
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Torture
toastyghosty13'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 enjoyed this book and the idea of an oceans 11-esque heist. i did find some parts cheesy and also found the swap from enemies to friends/lovers to be a bit lackluster and strange. and example of this is
Spoiler
nina and matthias. during the flashbacks that showed to context for the status of the friendship/relationship, i was rooting for them to get together. however, the beginning of their reunion is clearly framed with them hating each other. matthias goes from hating her to loving her with no real action or event taking place, which seemed odd to me if only a few chapters before he tried to kill her and hated her. the same goes for kaz, it seems like he goes from coworkers/acquaintances with inej to loving her out of nowhere. i’m not against these relationships —in fact i love them — but they did seem to happen randomly to me.i actually liked reading about these characters too, unlike most of the characters in the shadow and bone series. i am looking forward to the 2nd part of this duology, and if it is good enough will consider reading king of scars, although i did not find myself enamored with the main character of that when he was in shadow and bone.
Graphic: Murder, War, and Blood
Moderate: Drug use, Drug abuse, Slavery, Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Gun violence
Minor: Torture
lorenmarie7's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Slavery, Addiction, Confinement, Death of parent, Genocide, Classism, Death, Drug abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Child death, Drug use, and Violence
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
xaaamyy'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: Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Gun violence, Addiction, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Death, and Death of parent
hal00alex'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Moderate: Animal death and Death
Minor: Slavery, Death of parent, War, Trafficking, Blood, Addiction, Vomit, and Gun violence