aksmith92'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? No
4.5
Regardless, just like the prequel, this book follows four narrators, all from different parts of the world (two being from the "West"), that Shannon sets up for us. Each area - East, South, West, has its own religion and customs, which were very intriguing to read about. We have the West, which has a pretty cutthroat religion about someone named Galian who slayed the "Nameless One," a wyrm that came to destroy the continent about 1,000 years ago. They view him as the Saint. Then, we have the South, which actually believes that his love, Cleolind, is the one who slays the Nameless One. They call her the Mother. The East is disconnected from the bigger Continent by water, and they worship dragons, different from wyverns who follow the Nameless One. It was so intriguing to read about these different cultures and how they intersect.
I think the characters are built amazingly, and I really feel like I'm in their world. Like the prequel, a lot of this novel is setting up the characters, world-building, and plot, and therefore, it may feel slow for some people in the beginning. Additionally, there are a decent amount of characters and sub-plots to follow throughout, which may be confusing in the beginning. For these reasons, I shied away from giving it a full five stars. The beginning was just tough for me, but after about 15-20%, I hit the ground running and became fully immersed.
I really enjoyed the magical system, the connectedness of the continent, and others questioning their faiths based on new information. While it didn't seem totally realistic that folks from certain religions would be more than happy to accommodate others (sorry, the real world just sank in too much to find it believable), I will say I thought that the characters were strong and layered. The plot made a lot of sense, and I was excited to see it in this way as opposed to A Day of Fallen Night, where we are mostly left with more questions (which is totally acceptable for a prequel). I just had such a great time reading this and have fallen in love with this series. I can't wait to read more once other books are out!
Graphic: Gore and Miscarriage
Moderate: Alcoholism
_dina'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
4.75
Graphic: Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Murder, Grief, Infertility, Death, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Torture, Violence, War, Blood, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Religious bigotry, and Pandemic/Epidemic
neko_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? No
4.0
Graphic: Violence, Miscarriage, Blood, and Death
Moderate: Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, Infertility, and Religious bigotry
sci_trekker's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.75
Graphic: Pregnancy
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Homophobia, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Miscarriage
fanboyriot's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Blood, Alcoholism, Fire/Fire injury, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Pandemic/Epidemic, Miscarriage, Death, Infertility, Child death, Confinement, Religious bigotry, Medical content, Violence, Murder, Grief, Gore, Death of parent, Torture, Sexual content, War, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Medical trauma, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Genocide, Bullying, Outing, Alcohol, Terminal illness, Suicide attempt, Domestic abuse, Classism, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Animal death, Incest, Infidelity, Addiction, and Gaslighting
Minor: Dementia, Sexual assault, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Excrement, Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Rape, Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexism
luciferin's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Body horror, Classism, Confinement, Infertility, Death, War, Violence, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Miscarriage
Moderate: Mental illness, Torture, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Infidelity, and Incest
arlaubscher'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
4.75
Graphic: Alcohol, Miscarriage, Infertility, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Alcoholism, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, War, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Xenophobia, Medical content, Murder, Mental illness, and Violence
Minor: Sexual content, Slavery, and Trafficking
nekopersona'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? No
3.5
Graphic: Infertility, Miscarriage, Religious bigotry, Death, and Death of parent
mushroomfrog'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
4.75
Graphic: Medical content, Murder, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Body horror, Death of parent, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Confinement
Moderate: Infertility, Grief, Incest, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, and Vomit
vir_abelasan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Miscarriage and Pregnancy