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lada_bu_joreads'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
4.25
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
sadhbhprice'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: Bullying, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Medical content
Minor: Torture, Abortion, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
otterforce'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
4.0
The story and characters are both strong though and the very bad guys doing very bad (and sometimes graphic) things never feels gratuitous. It often reinforces the tension and stakes or serves the story. There’s are so many good people to offset the bad. I wouldn’t say the story is hopeful, but it’s also not overly bleak or dark.
I can’t wait to see how this series unfolds in later books.
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Physical abuse, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Confinement, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, and Abortion
Minor: Suicide
ceruleanheather'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
This book was one of those slow burn books for me. It started out slow, but interested me enough to keep going. The issue was that I listened to the audiobook on Libby to start with, and I had to return it before I finished listening! So of course I had to get the kindle edition. Thankfully that just happened to coincide with a re-read event the publisher was doing the ebook was on sale! Yay!
Anyway, rambling aside, something happened about a third of the way through the book and I was hooked. I was so mad at some of the things happening. I had to keep reading because surely there would be justice? Then I realized it is a 4 book series...
Elias is definitely a tortured soul. He is a Mask, a soldier for the empire whose only purpose after graduating Blackcliff Academy is to be a soldier, yet he resists in small ways. He is loyal to those who deserve it, kind despite his upbringing, and also conflicted about morality and destiny. Elias is best friends with Helene, the only female student at Blackcliff. They have an easy relationship with one another, always watching each other's backs. However some feelings start to complicate things between them, and we see how their choices differ but the motives for both characters are similar. Elias feels more deeply than you'd expect from someone in his position, and I think that his empathy is ultimately what will continue to drive him in the next few books. Helene made my heart hurt.
Laia is fierce, though she doesn't know it at first. She starts the story as a very frightened girl, yet she has fighting instincts from the beginning. She is a Scholar, which ironically means she isn't supposed to be able to read and is also part of the lower class in this society. After some very traumatic experiences, Laia eventually finds herself seeking the help of the Resistance. This leads to her infiltrating Blackcliff under the guise of being a slave, but unfortunately this means she is the slave of the absolutely ruthless and terrifying Commandant. Her loyalty and love for her brother drive her, but she also eventually connects with Elias and that affects some of her choices.
The love triangle was definitely a plot point, but I wouldn't say that it drove the story. Instead it was more about each character's individual choices and morality. The story is very fast paced, with lots of action and information coming in from both perspectives. There are prophecies, mysterious hooded figures that seem to run the entire show, spies, betrayal, schemes, reveals, and just a dash of romance.
There is a lot of violence in this book. This world is based off of the Roman empire, and you can definitely feel that in the events that occur. There is slavery, torture, physical abuse, SA, threats of SV, and then you add evil creatures who supposedly did not exist coming back into the story. All of the violence was well written though, and does not seem to be there just for effect. It helps to set the atmosphere and make you feel deeply about the characters.
Side note: If you liked The Hunger Games, Fourth Wing, and/or Throne of Glass I would definitely recommend this book!
I am definitely glad that I found this when I did, as the ebooks are cycling through going on sale during the re-read event!
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Slavery, Violence, Xenophobia, Abandonment, and Classism
Moderate: Child abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Torture, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Rape, Suicide, Abortion, and Death of parent
The Scholars are treated very poorly. Many are slaves, and many get treated like livestock. It is rough at times in the story.roseandivy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
the first was elias as a character. listen, i like a morally gray mc, i like complicated people, i like characters rebelling against the systems they were raised in, but everything about this man fell so flat for me. he was boring, and the attempts at making him seem complicated were lackluster, and i couldn't buy the fact that despite being raised in blackcliff for the majority of his life, he somehow clung to the values he was taught as a five year old and became the sole mask to want to oppose the empire. he felt stilted and unrealistic, and i couldn't stand the way he talked about both laia and helene. his constant objectification of the both of them (especially when laia was enslaved) grossed me out so much,
which leads me into the handling of misogyny and rape in this book. it feels like rape is used as a plot device or for shock value so much. every other chapter one of the female characters is being threatened with rape, or is scared of being raped, or a male character is joking about rape. as a survivor i think having depictions of and discussions of rape culture in books is important, but this felt less like a genuine attempt to engage with the weight of rape as an atrocity and more like the author was just using it as a tool to demonstrate that certain people were villains, and the fact that this is a young adult novel just makes it more uncomfortable. i certainly could've done with mature and meaningful discussions of rape in books as a child and teen, given that that aligned with my experience, but i've seen this book recommended as for ages 12+, and i think reading this book that young would've been more damaging than helpful for me.
there are a lot of other things in this book i could critique-- the one-dimensional villains, the fact that i found laia so boring, the lack of care given to the inclusion of magical elements (so many things just come out of absolutely nowhere with no warning or explanation seemingly just because it's convenient, especially
unfortunately, my love for helene only made the end of this book even more disappointing.
overall, very disappointed, but it gets one star for helene. i considered reading the next book just to get her pov, and i might still do it, but at the moment it doesn't seem worth my time.
edit: i forgot laia is seventeen and elias is 20. yikes.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Xenophobia
emilywemily6'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
5.0
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Child death, Cursing, Rape, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
Minor: Suicide, Vomit, Medical content, and Pregnancy
tabookish'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, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, and Classism
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
crybabybea's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I had my doubts about the characters but I ended up liking the main characters for their individual arcs, especially Laia. I wish the side characters got more attention and felt more fully developed.
I was pleasantly surprised at the complexity of the themes explored and the story beats. I wasn't expecting anything crazy from YA but this book was very dark and the author made some crazy choices that really flipped the typical YA experience on its head. Of course it had its tropey moments but I enjoyed the story a lot and found it compelling.
Definitely a page-turner, an intriguing thriller of a story with unique, subtle fantasy elements to get lost in for a few days.
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
amre23'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
The Dual POVs made the story progress faster. Was nice to see when the 2 main characters weren't interacting how their actions and inactions impacted each other.
At times could truly feel her worry and anxiety through the pages.
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Grief, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and War
Minor: Self harm, Medical content, Abortion, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
risten'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
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Murder, Sexual harassment, War, and Classism
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Self harm, Sexual content, Vomit, Stalking, Abortion, and Alcohol