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sammymilfort'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
3.75
Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Death of parent
bibliosaurier's review against another edition
4.75
+ two trans characters and a polycule?? i need more of that in my fantasy books
i also agree with a lot of people i've seen saying this is more NA than YA (it's still apprioriate for YA readers, but i also think it could have been even better if it wasn't)
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Classism
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Sexual content, Torture, and Fire/Fire injury
thoughtsontomes'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
3.75
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Torture
Minor: Death of parent
hedonsgaybookshelf'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? Yes
I was impressed by the large critical themes taken on by this YA book - structural class/religious oppression, relationship anarchy, gender fluidity and dysphoria. I really enjoyed MC Ash, who’s brash rejection of authority is clearly informed by a lifetime of class oppression. Raised by a single mother in a low-income neighborhood, he never had access to education or the privilege to practice alchemy that he so deeply craved. The MCs are all of similar age, yet at wildly different statuses due to family background, wealth, politics, and education, and it’s interesting to watch Ash grapple with both his resentment and attraction for Ramsay and Callum. I also love love love a polyamorous endgame, and really resonated with Callum’s rejection of the inherent limits of monogamy and openness to the infinite nature of love. House Lune represents organized religion in the novel, and the messaging is pretty explicit about religion as a control strategy and it’s leaders as deceitful hypocrites - I personally am here for it. I would have liked more attention to race, as we only know that Callum has “dark brown skin” and then I don’t believe this is never mentioned again. I also would have liked a clearer explanation of Ramsay’s gender fluidity and how the MCs knew when to switch Ramsay’s pronouns, as this was a major through-line but only briefly mentioned. I think the book did a nice job of explicitly detailing Ash’s gender dysphoria, both generally and during intimacy, which will be relatable for trans teen readers. The cliffhanger at the end felt just a little rushed, but overall I’m excited to read a sequel to this book!
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gore, Torture, Transphobia, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Sexual content
vagaybond's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Death, Blood, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Trafficking, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Dysphoria
takarakei's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Fantastic queer cast of main characters: one is transmasc, one is genderfluid, one is pansexual(?). This is a world where those identities are not an issue. The use of alchemy (magic) is 'othered'. The magic was cool in concept and explored a bit more at the beginning when Ramsy was teaching Ash, but then once we got into the action there wasn't a lot of descriptive magic. I felt a lot of the action parts were barely described and were instead glossed over. Was a bit confused what time period this is set and it's not super clear based on context clues. The dialogue reads more YA, but some of the content was definitely more New Adult. There was a lot of potential here, but it ended up being very character focused and the plot was a bit slow moving. I got rather bored by about 50%. The character dynamic between the main 3 were well done especially regarding their poly relationship. I don't know if this is going to be a series or not because it felt semi-conclusive. All the action really happens in the last 10-15% and that felt a bit rushed with how slow the rest of the book moved.
Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Teen for an advanced copy.
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, and Classism
Moderate: Cursing and Violence
Minor: Animal death, Bullying, and Torture
seekittyread's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Torture, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Classism
Minor: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Religious bigotry
frenchtoesticks's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Moderate: Child abuse, Torture, Police brutality, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Dysphoria
andromedaexists's review
- 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
Once again calling back to any book that makes me physically feel something get an automatic five star, but this book did more than that. This book wrapped my heart in tendrils of alchemical magic and refuses to let go.
Ramsay is a prodigy, the genderfluid child of known and executed terrorists hell-bent on atoning for their sins. She uses he/she pronouns, though leans more towards she/her throughout the book. She is also such an uptight prick... until she's not. I genuinely love how prickly and rude she is and how much that shows to me as an autistic mask. I just love her so much.
Callum is a black man and the youngest son of the Kendrick house, more or less the police state in book. He is kind and caring despite the heavy hand of his father and all he wants to do is heal. He wants to heal and help others, like the good man he is.
- The world became a white blur. The snow turned red. It fell to the ground, drops spreading like blots of ink. The blood dripped from Amelia's cheeks. Her smile faded as the screams began.
- That's what privileged assholes like you always say.
- [redacted] paused, but only for a moment. He opened the [redacted]. There was an explosion of light.
- It was too late. [redacted] was already there.
- It wasn't death he'd feared, he realized, but the change—the transformation that forced him to release.
- This light held the vibration of energy that the physical body would translate as love.
- They all created the same infinite light. They were eternal.
- It was an interesting place to be caught, stuck between grief and gladness that they were gone.
Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Dysphoria, and Classism
Minor: Sexual content
ABUSE (FAMILIAL, ON PAGE), DEATH (MURDER), GUILT, GRIEF, MENTIONS OF SEXUAL ENCOUNTERS (FADE TO BLACK), VIOLENCEbooksnbcys'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? Yes
4.25
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Homophobia, Torture, Grief, Death of parent, Dysphoria, and War