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wallflovver'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
4.75
i loved these characters, bar one of course. i really enjoyed them together and seeing their sisterly bond.
the magic system was also so interesting to get into! i liked the lore that made this magic it's own thing, and the reliance on nature was a lovely aspect that gets any magic system points from me!
this did feel like a very direct response to joanne revealing herself as a terf, and i revelled in that! very very enjoyable to me!
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Hate crime, Transphobia, Blood, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Bullying, Child abuse, Car accident, and Alcohol
ridesthesun'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
4.5
Graphic: Transphobia
Moderate: Animal death, Body shaming, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
lorriss'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
4.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual content, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Infidelity, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Vomit, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Classism
Minor: Child death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Excrement, Abortion, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, and Pandemic/Epidemic
courtnoodles's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Gore, Physical abuse, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Outing, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cursing, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Minor: Confinement
hematthews's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Transphobia, Violence, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Outing, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Deadnaming, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
ariellet18'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
5.0
Graphic: Transphobia and Alcohol
Moderate: Death and Murder
Minor: Domestic abuse
wishbea'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
4.0
It was wonderful to read a fantasy story from the perspective of adult women, where many of them have kids/kid charges and it's an accomplishment that the children were all dynamic characters and not frustrating to read about or detrimental to the plot in a way they sometimes are. Themes of motherhood and found family are very strong here.
The romances and friendships all felt organic to me and I was definitely rooting for the budding new romance in the book.
The trans storyline was by far the strongest and was what made this book 5 stars for me, it used a great many talking points I've heard from trans people, allies and TERFs so it was bone chilling how accurate to real life the arguments the characters were having felt.
We also get POC characters and lesbian characters, but their struggles were sidelined somewhat and I am hoping they will get their chance to shine in the next book.
I'm glad the second book is out because I can't wait to read it and find out where these characters go next.
Edit: After reading the second book I've changed my rating to 4 stars as I realised the ending to this book destroys multiple characters storylines and is partially responsible for book 2 being disappointing.
Graphic: Transphobia, Kidnapping, and Death of parent
Moderate: Ableism, Animal death, Body horror, Infidelity, Racism, Sexual content, Blood, Car accident, Murder, Outing, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Eating disorder, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
bookishwondergoth'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? Yes
4.0
I see from other reviews people have commented that the writing style seems too informal and littered with slang and references that are shoe-horned in. I personally don't agree with this criticism at all. The informality works for its contemporary setting. Also, Niamh and the relationship she has with her friends and their children felt very familiar to me and my own experiences as an adult who lived as a child through the 90s.
I also really enjoyed the examinations of intersectional feminism (or the lack of it in many white women) and its flat-out codemnation of TERFism. This was very clearly written in response to J. K. Rowling's transphobic essay published in 2020. It's not subtle, but then TERFs are not at all subtle with their transphobia in the UK, so did I care? No. Fuck TERFs. Their mindset makes ZERO sense and Juno Dawson does a really good job of showing just how completely nonsensical it is.
I do think there are some segments that could have been better fleshed out/made relevant to the main story (pretty much everything to do with Leonie and her breakaway coven, Diaspora). However, this is the first book in a trilogy, and in the author Q&A with Juno Dawson I attended a couple of weeks ago, she told us that Leonie comes more into play in subsequent books.
I also seriously disagree with those pointing out that for a book about feminism, the women are awfully divided and therefore the book is not feminist. That is the point. Division over these issues is not feminist because the division is caused by bigotry and intolerance. Therefore the people who do not fight for the rights of women—all women, including transwomen and BIPOC women—are not feminist and they absolutely must be challenged in their views. We're all getting fucked over by the patriarchy here, some moreso than others. Acknowledging that divide, difference, and the very real divisions in friendships and families who disagree over fundamental human rights is important.
This book made me really really angry in the best way and I can't wait to read the next one. Might have to borrow it from a friend as the copy I plan to buy isn't due for dispatch until November, gah.
Anyway, loved it. Highly recommended.
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Transphobia, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Outing, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and War
Moderate: Animal death, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Lesbophobia, and Injury/Injury detail
laurataylor'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
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Sexual content, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Car accident, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Alcohol
black_cat_iiix'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? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Transphobia, Fire/Fire injury, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Racism, and War
Minor: Addiction, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Abortion, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Alcohol