mlottermoser's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Moderate: Death, Grief, Slavery, War, and Physical abuse
Minor: Blood
hello_lovely13's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
Graphic: Death, Blood, Violence, and Torture
Moderate: Physical abuse, Grief, and Vomit
Minor: Sexual harassment and Suicidal thoughts
nebulasaurus's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Physical abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Torture, Violence, Gaslighting, Grief, Gore, Cursing, Murder, and Blood
hannah_steven's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Child death, Death, Grief, Murder, and Torture
Moderate: Blood, Physical abuse, Slavery, and War
Minor: Bullying, Rape, and Vomit
julietteisbored's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The relationships in this book are beautifully established. I very much enjoyed seeing the bond between the two sisters, likely because it reminds me a lot of my own sister and I.
I liked seeing that even though it was a fantasy setting there was still religion. Religion has such a large effect on a world, its history, and how people deal with hardship, that I find it strange that so many YA fantasy books ignore it mostly.
Most of all I loved that the characters felt so real. The characters make mistakes and are held accountable for them, showing their humanity. This is something many young-adults book lack in my opinion. Seeing the main characters oppose eachother, and not knowing who is right in the situation made everything even more painful.
Spoiler
The death of Xander is a great example of this. I kept expecting there to be a reveal that Halcyon did not kill him, but one of the antagonists did and framed her. This did not happen however, and as much as it hurt I loved that. Then the commander, Straton, sentences her to a cruel punishment, which he later regrets. He loved Halcyon but wanted the revenge for the death of his son.Moderate: Child death, Death, Vomit, Physical abuse, and Grief
Minor: Bullying
beautifulpaxielreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, and Violence