lovepixity's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Chronic illness
Moderate: Self harm, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, and Grief
Minor: Suicide
erebus53's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
2.75
I picked this up as a title from the author of Divergent, which I enjoyed, and Arch-Conspirator that I had my reservations about. This story didn't quite grab me as much as I wanted it to.
People are spread throughout the galaxy and there is a shining glowy plasma trail thing in space that changes colour and is somehow linked to some augmentative gifts that the people acquire as they come of age. These gifts seem to be a honing of internal predispositions and are adaptive to each person, often in response to a meaningful event in their lives. In traumatic situations sometimes these gifts awaken early to protect those who are in trouble. The two main characters have strange gifts, one who feels chronic pain and inflicts it on others by touch, and one who stops the flow of the Current that bestows the gifts, stopping a persons powers while he is in contact with them.
The world building in this is pretty cool but I think the story telling falls a little flat. I am a proponent of good prophesy stories (I've said this often) and this story is pinned on certain players who are "Fated" to do certain things. The prophets have an ability to see into the multiplicity of futures, and those Fated are the ones who seem to turn out always at the same point, no matter what path is taken. It does baffle me however that the main antagonist wants to fly in the face of his fate, demonstrating a willingness to believe that such fates can be averted, and yet, he basically sets up his sister to have plenty of opportunity to lean into hers, despite it not being in his best interest.. why would you write a story like that? If you are worried about your sister Defecting, why would you buddy her up with a refugee-slave from the other side? This characters is supposed to be wily and not shortsighted.
Blah fights.. my other Thing is not liking fights, and there are too many. Too much bodily defacement, and even in the horrific violence, not enough realism for me to even engage with it. It's a bit sad.
CW: there is a lot of stimulant use, poisoning, and things so if that's not your bag, then read something else.
I like some of the twisty plots, oppression and resistance, but some of the race memory of language, secret genealogy, blood lines, just feels a bit too magicky.. this semi-magical semi-scifi .. it doesn't really cohere for me. When I think about it that's a little weird because I liked the bloodlines and inheritance stuff in Legendborn, but this left me cold.
Lots of focus on killing, grief, and cutting tattoos into flesh to remember loss.. just feels a bit.. emo.
People are spread throughout the galaxy and there is a shining glowy plasma trail thing in space that changes colour and is somehow linked to some augmentative gifts that the people acquire as they come of age. These gifts seem to be a honing of internal predispositions and are adaptive to each person, often in response to a meaningful event in their lives. In traumatic situations sometimes these gifts awaken early to protect those who are in trouble. The two main characters have strange gifts, one who feels chronic pain and inflicts it on others by touch, and one who stops the flow of the Current that bestows the gifts, stopping a persons powers while he is in contact with them.
The world building in this is pretty cool but I think the story telling falls a little flat. I am a proponent of good prophesy stories (I've said this often) and this story is pinned on certain players who are "Fated" to do certain things. The prophets have an ability to see into the multiplicity of futures, and those Fated are the ones who seem to turn out always at the same point, no matter what path is taken. It does baffle me however that the main antagonist wants to fly in the face of his fate, demonstrating a willingness to believe that such fates can be averted, and yet, he basically sets up his sister to have plenty of opportunity to lean into hers, despite it not being in his best interest.. why would you write a story like that? If you are worried about your sister Defecting, why would you buddy her up with a refugee-slave from the other side? This characters is supposed to be wily and not shortsighted.
Blah fights.. my other Thing is not liking fights, and there are too many. Too much bodily defacement, and even in the horrific violence, not enough realism for me to even engage with it. It's a bit sad.
CW: there is a lot of stimulant use, poisoning, and things so if that's not your bag, then read something else.
I like some of the twisty plots, oppression and resistance, but some of the race memory of language, secret genealogy, blood lines, just feels a bit too magicky.. this semi-magical semi-scifi .. it doesn't really cohere for me. When I think about it that's a little weird because I liked the bloodlines and inheritance stuff in Legendborn, but this left me cold.
Lots of focus on killing, grief, and cutting tattoos into flesh to remember loss.. just feels a bit.. emo.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Torture, Terminal illness, Suicide, Slavery, Self harm, Racism, Drug use, Death, Physical abuse, Murder, Kidnapping, Grief, Forced institutionalization, Abandonment, Drug abuse, Deportation, Death of parent, and War
cadybooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Drug abuse, and Grief
Moderate: Violence, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Murder, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Gaslighting
Minor: Medical content, Classism, Colonisation, Blood, Alcohol, Body horror, Child abuse, Self harm, and Gore
twilightfanboy's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
I found the book only really got intresting/better towards the end so I hope the 2nd book will be a bit better i did first notice the 2nd book at the library then realised its a duology so i of course then read this one first. The 2nd book just seemed a bit more interesting so im hoping it'll be better. The writing in the beginning also just seemed a bit off?
Overall i wouldn't say it's a bad book just got a bit boring at times and felt a bit slow.
Also possible spoiler but not really <in the description of the book they say that they are enemies and somewhere in the book say akos and cyra hate each other but there were never any signs of that and I never felt like they were enemies or hate each other which didnt bother i just found it weird that they said they were enemies and wrote they hate each other when they very much did not?>
Overall i wouldn't say it's a bad book just got a bit boring at times and felt a bit slow.
Also possible spoiler but not really <in the description of the book they say that they are enemies and somewhere in the book say akos and cyra hate each other but there were never any signs of that and I never felt like they were enemies or hate each other which didnt bother i just found it weird that they said they were enemies and wrote they hate each other when they very much did not?>
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Self harm
Moderate: Torture
Minor: Kidnapping
mac_hayter's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Torture
rainbow10's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Overall, an enjoyable book! The characters were interesting to read about - especially Akos - however I feel as if the plot went on for a bit too long, the last third seemed almost irrelevant. A unique fantasy sci-fi if you want to try something different!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Torture
mailuss's review against another edition
Literally no plot and extremelly boring
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Torture
Moderate: Xenophobia
pejahanako's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- 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
I underestimated this book so much. After not hearing a lot about it and having read the Divergent series, I didn't expect anything new or complex from this book- but I was proved very very wrong. The setting of this book is incredibly unique, with some pretty decent world building and a magic system that I can definitely get behind. It actually reminded me a lot of Dune, without the mind-numbing historical elements and overanalyzed scenery. The plot is well thought out and executed and the characters are probably the best part. I fell in love with Cyra and Akos, and their love story, even when you know it's going to occur, is one of the cutest I've read in awhile. I highly recommend it for people who are into light sci-fi and morally grey characters.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Torture
ajboyd_'s review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Classism, Death of parent, Grief, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Violence, Colonisation, Death, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Slavery, and Torture
maralaene's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- 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
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Torture