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silly_little_clown'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? No
4.0
I’m glad I made it through though. Everything else barring the suffering was good. Very curious as to how the
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Rape
the_real_al_cal'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
Don't get me wrong, the tropes are definitely overdone at this point but Flewelling has a way of breathing new life into them through the tactile nature of her world's magic systems. To be honest, sometimes it still put me off and I was originally going to rate this a 3.5 or 4, but the last few pages really brought the entire story together so neatly that I actually gasped at the surprise revelation at the end:
What struck me right away is how much Flewelling's writing style changed between book 3's release in 1999 and book 4's release in 2008. Neither style is bad, and I enjoy both a lot, but it was very noticeable! I would say the earlier three had more of a classically-rosy style similar to Robin Hobb or George R.R. Martin. Book 4's style felt very fluid and was easier for me to read (because my attention span is garbage these days), but perhaps more along the lines of the quick action/short descriptions that a lot of popular authors follow these days. Again, neither is bad, and I inhaled this book all the same.
At the end of the day, I enjoy these stories because I enjoy the characters. They have all come such a long way from book 1, thanks to Flewelling's masterful character development. Where I enjoyed the characters before, now I feel invested in what they will do next.
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Murder, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Death, Toxic relationship, Grief, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Xenophobia, Excrement, and Vomit
ryllio's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Physical abuse, Slavery, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Body horror, Body shaming, Confinement, and Torture
Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual content
tinyelfarcanist'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
I liked going into this without reading the summary as it kind of spoils a twist that turns the book's direction. It's darker than the previous ones but not as graphic as Stalking Darkness.
I wouldn't recommend waiting long after Traitor's Moon as some of the characters mentioned there are still relevant. New characters are introduced and some threads are left open for the rest of the saga.
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Rape, Slavery, Torture, and Trafficking
Moderate: Child abuse and Child death
Minor: Animal death, Suicide, Violence, Blood, and Kidnapping