kymboh78's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Misogyny, Death, War, Suicidal thoughts, and Drug use
valenwhite'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: Blood and Murder
Minor: Vomit, Alcohol, and Suicidal thoughts
wrensreadingroom's review against another edition
5.0
Moderate: Trafficking, Murder, Gore, Emotional abuse, Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Mental illness, Eating disorder, Drug use, Deportation, Bullying, Animal cruelty, Toxic friendship, Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, War, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Death, Cursing, Confinement, Body shaming, Blood, Animal death, Forced institutionalization, Toxic relationship, Torture, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Grief, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Abandonment, Violence, Sexual content, and Panic attacks/disorders
eule'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
4.5
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Torture, Blood, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, and Murder
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, and Sexual content
em1ani's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Minor: Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Violence, Blood, Bullying, Death, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, and Gaslighting
lizzye33's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Physical abuse, Confinement, and Violence
Moderate: War, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Drug use, Classism, Alcohol, Vomit, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Outing, and Murder
ilove_books16'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
4.75
Graphic: Sexual content, Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, War, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Toxic relationship, and Torture
katreadswaytoomuch's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Violence, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Self harm, Murder, Kidnapping, Gore, Drug use, Drug abuse, Death, and Blood
Minor: Animal death, Vomit, and Suicidal thoughts
baexlee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
Jude has undergone a lot since we first encountered her in The Cruel Prince, and she is a far cry from that character now, but I did find that it was a bit easier to root for her choices and motivations this time around. Her morally gray motivations had been something that initially enthralled me with the series so I wasn't sure how I felt about them, but by the end of the book I was starting to see how Black was going to subvert my expectations once again. I have a complicated relationship with Cardan, I was frustrated with how little he appeared in the beginning, so if you are looking for heavy handed Cardan content you will have to wait, but once you get to Book Two things pick up quickly.
I think one of my favorite parts of this series is the complex relationships between Jude and her sisters. Vivi and Taryn can feel like side characters at times, but the relationship they have with Jude, they dynamics of how that relationship plays out, and the perception of their relationship to the outside world is incredibly rich and developed and honestly one of the most impressive aspects.
Spoiler
There are so many betrayals, back stabbings and double backs that I'm not sure who is on who's side, and I don't really know who to root for, but honestly I think that's one of the strengths of the series. It highlights the chaos of power and politics and the uncertainty of it all. Jude is young and hungry, but she isn't the only one, and we learn that alongside her as she is betrayed throughout the story. Black doesn't go into the intimate details or logistics of each betrayal which lends to their believability and plausibility, and it helps that we are learning about them as Jude would, her perspective is limited to what information she is trusted with. I do think that there was some disappointment in scenarios where it felt like Black worked over hundreds of pages to set something up just to have something ruin it right at the last second, an example would be the poison and Jude's relative immunity to poison. Right when her relative immunity would be helpful, she no longer has it because she had been captive. And then ultimately she just swaps the poison for water anyway and it doesn't matter. So why did you have Jude build the immunity for two entire books in the first place? It left me feeling a bit unfulfilled in some places. Overall I'm excited to see Queen Jude in the third installment.Graphic: Blood, Death, Drug use, and Murder
Moderate: Confinement, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, and Sexual content
Minor: Vomit, Violence, Toxic relationship, and Suicidal thoughts