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csmall73'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
4.0
Inan and Amari keep falling into old childish narcissistic mental traps, ptsd and insecurities. Frustrating close calls and glaringly obvious pitfalls due to emotional attachments.
Still seeing more throne of glass esque than the announced Harry Potter similarities. Especially with the amount of trauma, close calls, and epic empathy fails. I’m
Moderate: Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, War, and Classism
rikuson1's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
-★★✭☆☆- (2.75/5.00)
My Grading Score = 55% (C-)
Children of Virtue and Vengeance had good moments, but I do feel the overall pacing for this book dragged a specific plot that probably didn't need as much time as it was given. Some of the characters as well did start to make decisions that felt a bit out of character for them. Or they were so dramatic that it did not come off as organic as it probably should for me with the lead-up to them making those decisions. Especially with what they decided to stand for by the end of the previous book versus what they do now. Additionally, a new antagonist is introduced in this book that was not hinted at in any way in the prior book, which made their introduction and placement in the story feel contrived. I'm not fully on board with the direction it took and is now going, but it wasn't a terrible read. One of the three main characters did make a drastic shift in character in this book by the end and people seem to not like where they are headed, but in hindsight, it does not bother me with the path that character is going down by the execution to it could have been better than what we got.
Verdict
I'll see if the third book is going to play out well with what this book apparently was trying to set up. Overall,
It Was Okay
Graphic: Torture, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Trafficking, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and War
debthebookworm'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? It's complicated
4.0
But Children of Anguish and Anarchy is coming! So I can focus on how I feel about the pages leading up to the end.
Zélie and Inan hurt. I was excited to learn that Inan was alive, even though he was so aggravating and the reason Baba died. He and Zélie, though, were just something I wanted to work, and watching him fight himself again but this time also having to fight against his mother, I rooted for him to break free so he could do the right thing. It took the whole book, but I'm glad it happened.
Also, so much pain. Having to watch Zélie get broken down to the point where she didn't want to fight anymore was so painful. Mâzeli did not deserve to die, and it was her fault!
Overall, story-wise, I loved seeing more maji, watching Zélie blossom with her own little clan, discovering cênters, and seeing the maji sanctuary. The twists were really good. I was shocked every time. The last few chapters, jumping from character to character every 3 pages, was jarring, but I pushed through. Also unless this is addressed in Book 3, we never learned what happened to Ramaya.
I debated on how many stars to give this, but those issues stop me from giving it 5.
Graphic: Death, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, and War
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Genocide, Blood, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Classism
Minor: Animal death, Child death, and Vomit
abby_can_read'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? It's complicated
3.0
After finishing the first book, I had high exceptions and I don't think this book lived up to them. This was a decent book and there were parts that I enjoyed reading.
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gore, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, and Blood
Minor: Gaslighting and Colonisation
ci_eden's review against another edition
- 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
Also I love how flawed Zelie is. I love a strong woman going through shit, and she doesn't want to run away anymore, she found her purpose, fuck yeah! Although she has horrible taste in men. Also did NOT expect Amari to kill innocent people. Trauma and abuse really twists you.
These are tortured characters that just keep getting battered and abused. Children fighting wars, as the title says. I feel for them, I really do. I feel like their deaths are inevitable but I can't look away...
Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Toxic relationship, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, and Classism
Minor: Confinement, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting