stuckinatimeloop's review
- 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: Racism, War, Violence, Torture, Xenophobia, Toxic relationship, and Gun violence
Moderate: Rape
fareehareads's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Spoiler
Okay now for the pain. wowowowow the deaths were harsh and I knew they were coming but they still hurttt. Nezha STABBING her at the very end was not okay and I should have seen it coming because I didn't trust the boy for one second during the entire book, but I know Rin did and THAT is what hurts. All of these men that she either looks up to, loves, or admires always let her down so profoundly that she has no choice but to be her own support system. Makes me want to hug her.Jinzha's death was great, super satisfying.
Qara's death I could see coming from a mile away since she got lines for the first time the whole series, but I like the little moment where she told Rin that she wasn't overpowered by Chagan she was simply in the spiritual world, that was nice. Ramsa, Suni and Baji's deaths were just unfair. They should have gotten a watery end in battle instead of on a chopping block. It also felt a bit cheap to me since it was acknowledged earlier that if the Hesperians knew that they were shamans maybe they would have been spared (tortured for sure, but with potential of a jail break). But it looks like the whole Cike plotline is being burned as a part of Rin's past. Chagan being the last among them is still annoying to me. All the annoying men in this that keep not dying sucks so much.
Overall this book is such a painful and incredible journey. I highly recommend it.
Graphic: War, Violence, Gun violence, Drug abuse, Xenophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, Rape, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, and Confinement
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Death, Blood, Suicide attempt, and Sexual violence
Minor: Bullying and Toxic relationship
linneak'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: Child death, Child abuse, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, Rape, Toxic friendship, Violence, Drug use, Medical trauma, Torture, War, Addiction, Colonisation, Self harm, Blood, Classism, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Grief, Abortion, and Gun violence
Minor: Vomit, Alcohol, Death of parent, and Suicidal thoughts
njthk's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
Again a whole lot of politics, something I know people may dislike, because it makes this book lengthy, but I think it fit perfectly.
Great expansion of the world building.
I'm just afraid of what's going to happen next.
Spoiler
Loved Rins characterization, especially the slow deterioration of her psyche. Great representation of panic attacks, I could literally feel her spiraling.The Hesperians.
Their beliefs were just scary and painfully familiar.
And all the other Characters were great too. Especially Kitay.
Graphic: Addiction, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Drug abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, War, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Gore and Suicide attempt
ddnreads'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
5.0
Tetep best read sih. It doesn't change any feelings of love I have toward TPW Trilogy. Tetap bikin remox endingnya😌
Buku yang penuh peperangan ini berisi lebih banyak tipu muslihat. Kawan adalah lawan dan bisa jadi lawan adalah kawan yang sesungguhnya. Karakter developmentnya ada banget, for better or worse 😂
Karakter dinamika yang ditampilkan juga jauh lebih 'sentimental'. Lebih banyak aktor penguasa baru yang nyebelin, and it says a lot. Menurutku, buku ini gacuma nyeritain tentang perang ideologi antara Kekaisaran dan Republik, tapi juga merefleksikan siapa 'dalang' dibalik perang-perang yang ternyata saling berhubungan ini. Secara ga langsung buku ini menampilkan soal penjajahan koloni, rasisme, dan pemaksaan suatu paham terhadap suatu kelompok orang yang mereka anggap 'tertinggal'. This is where the real issue lays. Selalu tentang yang merasa berkuasa dan menang menginjak-injak yang mereka anggap inferior. And I always always love the way rfk portrayed these colonizers. It's never not funny😌👌
For a book about genocide, it's super page turning. Gabosen dari awal sampe akhir. Ga ada teori2. Semuanya praktikal langsung terjun ke lapangan.
Beberapa sejarah juga diceritain disini. Behind the scenes of trifecta (Maharani Si Daji, Master Jiang, dan Kaisar Naga Riga), suku pedalaman dari Utara (Changhan + Qara), dan sumber 'kekuatan' keluarga Yin.
Terjemahannya enak meskipun ada beberapa yang feel-nya kurang pas.
Misal, Aku suka sekali padamu didn't do justice to Rin's "I love you" to Kitay's "I know."
(Lebih cocok "Aku sangat menyayangimu." Atau "Aku mencintaimu, kau tau".)
Atau
"He's sprung like a—"
"Don't be vulgar."
≠
"Dia menerkam seperti—"
"Jangan vulgar."
Kitay bilang vulgar karena kata "sprung" biasa disama artikan dengan ereksi. Makanya responnya jangan vulgar.
(Menurutku pribadi lebih cocok "Nezha selalu siap diposisi. Dia berdiri seperti—")
But that's so technical and not so important 😅
Tambahan dikit,
And Rin, for the best part, managed to devour her darkest nightmare.
Fuck Nezha, I love Sring Venka and Chen Kitay so so much u have no idea.
Real question: should I abandon all senses and order the translated version of TBG or listen to the cry of my weakening wallet?
Graphic: Self harm, Grief, War, Drug use, Medical trauma, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Body horror, Child death, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, Bullying, Colonisation, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Addiction, Drug abuse, Genocide, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Cannibalism, Rape, Fire/Fire injury, and Torture
fairyofprocrastination'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
5.0
Spoiler
In the first couple hundred pages I was like, maybe this will not be as great as the first book.And then I had to eat my words as this world became much more complicated and delicious with politics and betrayal and all that jazz.
To be honest, I was not that happy with Rin with the first few chapters of this book. I didn't hate her, but I was deeply saddened by the choices she was making. Her addition with opium and her addiction to questionable male authority figures (case in point both Altan and Vaisara are through and through assholes, even if Altan taught her to control the powers and Vaisara helped her become sober) is both deeply disheartening, but I couldn't hate her because I know I would do what she did in her shoes.
And then I grew okay with this disappointment. But the fact that she has let go of both of her vices and is going to lead in the next book is great! And although I know that war is pointless, the shit Hesperia was spinning up (I really don't know which country it represents America or Britain) spelled trouble. Especially with their propoganda machine, because I know how it works because it worked in my country and I am laughing because their ideology is so much bullshit as compared to Nikara culture and Gods that it's kinda funny when we see it's demonstration (makes me think that all modern religions are cults as well) because who better to give hope than war torn and malnutritioned people of a country weighed down by war and starvation and hunger!
And while I kinda liked the politics, it wasn't as delicious as the one I saw in she became the sun (which has some fantastic politics and gender nuances along with the fantastic war planning and war in general of this work).
This book is a great sequel to a great debut fantasy novel and I hope I have the same opinions regarding the last book!
Graphic: Racism, Religious bigotry, Drug abuse, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Rape
nkookie's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Gore, Genocide, Addiction, Blood, War, Violence, and Abandonment
Moderate: Abandonment, Addiction, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Drug use
praaliine'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
5.0
A fantastic read, as expected.
P.S. watch out for chapter 28 (graphic SA towards the end of the chapter)
Graphic: Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Gore, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Classism, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Violence, War, Physical abuse, Rape, Vomit, Addiction, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Murder, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Bullying, Colonisation, Gaslighting, and Animal death
tinyjude's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Also the huge and constant roasting to white colonizers. Get them!! I am with Rin all the way down through her desire to burn everything down.
Venka, Kitay and Ramsa, my beloveds.
Graphic: Classism, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, War, Addiction, Body horror, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Genocide, Grief, Rape, Blood, Emotional abuse, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Death, Gun violence, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Sexual assault, Torture, Child death, Colonisation, and Slavery
Moderate: Abortion
shainalite'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
4.5
Kengerian, ketakutan dan trauma yang dirasakan Rin bisa ikut aku rasakan namun ga sampai bikin aku berhenti baca buku ini. Seperti buku pertama, gaya penulisan buku ini mudah diikuti dan engaging, sehingga sejauh ini aku bisa bilang (gaya penulisan) R.F. Kuang adalah jodohku 🤭
Muncul karakter-karakter baik baru maupun karakter yang sempat muncul di buku pertama, dan ketika aku menyelesaikan buku ini rasanya R.F. Kuang kayak menggambarkan kehidupan nyata dalam bentuk buku fiksi di mana kita tidak pernah benar-benar tahu mana pihak yang ingin kita dukung (misalnya dalam politik atau dalam kasus tertentu yang muncul di media sosial) karena masing-masing pihak bisa menyajikan fakta mereka masing-masing. Penggambaran apa yang dilakukan Rin dalam buku ini, pihak-pihak mana saja yang dia dukung dan gimana dia akhirnya memutuskan menurut aku bukan sesuatu yang ga ada artinya karena itu merupakan pembelajaran juga.
Oke, kemudian Nezha, aku hanya ingin masukin dia ke dalam tong, bertahun-tahun, siapa tau dia bisa jadi tape.
Sejujurnya aku belum pernah baca buku military fantasy sebelumnya, jadi buku ini sudah detail namun masih bisa aku pahami sebagai manusia awam yang tidak tahu apa-apa mengenai militer, terutama penyusunan strategi dan ide-ide yang dimunculkan seputar peperangan. Perdebatan yang dimunculkan di buku ini juga menarik baik yang membahas agama, strategi perang maupun gimana menjalani kehidupan dengan kondisi saat ini. Suka banget kalau ada buku yang ditulis dengan membuat beberapa opini berkonflik dengan cara yang masuk akal mulai dari konflik semacam perdebatan hingga sebesar peperangan yang melibatkan beberapa negara di dunia.
Graphic: Sexual assault, Gaslighting, Medical content, Child abuse, Child death, Genocide, Alcohol, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Excrement, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Slavery, Body shaming, Torture, Vomit, Blood, Deadnaming, War, Grief, Racial slurs, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Medical trauma, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Self harm, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Abortion