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blalloland's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Slavery, Abortion, Pregnancy, and War
Moderate: Homophobia, Rape, and Sexual assault
gondorgirl's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicide, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
sarah_speaks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Rape, Slavery, Violence, Pregnancy, and War
Moderate: Torture
secre's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Our narrator is Briseis, wife of the late Achilles and now married to Alcimus whilst carrying Achilles child. It's a clever choice of narrator as her position allows her a view into both the male and the female spheres, even if she is mostly with the women. It's slow, and offers glimpses into the lives of the women taken from Troy, those with far less freedom than Briseis herself. Where I think it lets itself down is that despite being the 'women of Troy', it still largely centres itself on the men. Part of this is undeniably necessary; it is the men making all the decisions in camp and their behaviour has a direct impact on the women. However, the switch into the men being the narrators felt unnecessary and detracted from the story I think Barker was trying to tell.
Because this should have been the story of the powerless, the enslaved, the crushed. The women whose children had been taken and killed. Those who had lost husbands, fathers, sons and unborn child. Those taken into slavery and given no choice as to where their lives would inevitably lead. Yet I felt those voices were often muted, with more time being given to the enslavers, the rapists, the killers. It would have been a more powerful novel if those muted by time and historical retelling were given that voice. I felt Natalie Haynes managed it better in A Thousand Ships, which is a book that has stayed with me since I read it.
I'm still interested in reading the first in the series, but I'll go into it with a little more hesitation now. Because this was certainly well written. Parts of it were poignant and moving. But it didn't really do what I thought it was going to do.
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Child death, Rape, and Slavery
cattheteawitchfairy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Misogyny, Rape, Slavery, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and War
louie246's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Rape
megb64's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gore, Rape, Violence, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, and War
rosehw's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
thehyacinthgirl'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? No
3.5
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, War, and Injury/Injury detail
mooglemania's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
Graphic: Child death, Death, Fatphobia, Miscarriage, Rape, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, and War
Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual violence
Honestly mid. Plot goes nowhere. Characters unlikable, especially the Trojans. Somehow manages to make a book about the Trojan side of the war where the Trojans are more unlikable than the Greeks. The MC is so inconsistent (and not in a character growth kind of way, in a character has no real alliegance sort of way) and is constantly criticising traumatised women and comparing them to one another and just being the worst. Meanwhile the Greeks are portrayed as these backwards savages who have no respect for anything but the MC is still bending over backwards to praise them every chance she gets. Honestly the author writes well but has no business writing these stories. Can't take these Greek soldiers with their "ullo guv'nor" British accents seriously.