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sophiesmallhands'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
4.5
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Murder, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Genocide, Gun violence, Vomit, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Death of parent
sara_isabel'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
5.0
Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Slavery, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Religious bigotry, Murder, Colonisation, War, and Classism
Moderate: Sexism, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Alcohol
aseel_reads'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
4.25
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
cameronreads's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Child abuse, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Kidnapping, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Racial slurs, Death of parent, and War
theirgracegrace'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
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Addiction, Excrement, and Vomit
Minor: Ableism and Cultural appropriation
eegekay'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: Ableism, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Drug use and Cannibalism
lbelow'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
4.5
Graphic: Cursing, Racism, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Gore, Gun violence, and Murder
Minor: Torture and Vomit
alexalily'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: Death, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Murder, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Gore, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and War
Minor: Animal death, Cursing, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Kidnapping, Grief, and Alcohol
rjtheodore'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
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Sexual content, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
purrson'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
While The Unbroken (which is told through either Luca or Touraine’s eyes) is heavy with the work of laying down foundations and building rich, complex characters trying to survive constant complex trauma—and adds beautiful world-building, magic, and cultures that feel familiar but are different enough to be fantastical—it never flinches from the depth and breadth of colonialism and all the harm it brings. The Faithless builds well on that base, so when our main characters are far from home we still feel the pressures of those strong personalities and the vibrant homeland counting on their success. That’s helped along by shifting the perspective throughout the book more frequently than The Unbroken; while we’re still mainly given the story through Luca or Touraine’s perspectives, at times The Faithless gives Aranen, Pruett, or even Fili the lead, and we’re privy to their thoughts and feelings. Those shifts help The Faithless’ plot feel as if it moves faster, as it introduces more moving parts without sacrificing any depth or detail. The machinations our protagonists work to uncover and survive are constantly spinning, even on the last page, which just builds my excitement for Book 3. The villains are both straightforwardly evil but are also unreliable narrators throughout; they present different faces to different characters, but there’s also a sense that things are going on behind their closed doors even we have yet to see. Some things they’ve hidden are revealed by the end, but some threads aren’t connected, some mysteries left unsolved for now.
This series is truly shines at representing the constant onslaught of colonialism and violent white supremacy and the bottomless hunger and violence of its adherents. We see how this structure harms everyone, even the colonizers themselves aren’t without their losses, and their working class in Balladaire is struggling and ripe for rebellion or political exploitation, or both. But the plot doesn’t lose itself in pity for the those at the top or even the middle of the heap, and focus is kept on the Qazāli; we’re led to understand a bit more of Touraine’s broken & bruised soul and her trauma, and what’s at stake for their future. All of the characters are complex—even the villains, with all the cruelty and dehumanization they show certain characters, have some depths beyond their evil.
Abuse—emotional, psychological, physical; systemic and familial—its all handled well in this series too. As Luca & Touraine come closer to unpacking their childhood experiences and finding themselves in their present, their growth makes me more excited about Book 3. The slow burn romance worked well too
Absolutely recommend ⭐️
Graphic: Racism, Murder, Colonisation, War, and Classism
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Genocide, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting
Minor: Child death, Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Queernormative worldbuilding, Queer romance, references to Polyamory, WLW romance