rheagoveas's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: War, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and Child death
devynreadsnovels's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Minor: Child death and War
sophiesmallhands's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Moderate: Genocide, Child death, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Fire/Fire injury, and Emotional abuse
Minor: War
tinyjude's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Child death, War, and Injury/Injury detail
rmperezpadilla's review
- 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
Minor: War and Child death
lain_darko's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Grief, Death, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Murder, Child death, War, and Blood
Minor: Medical content and Racism
orchidd'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
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Medical trauma, Violence, Murder, War, and Child death
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Animal death and Pregnancy
book_loser's review
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Emotional abuse and War
Moderate: Violence and Dysphoria
Minor: Child death
cemeterygay's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Yang managed to build a very intriguing world that is very different from the fantasy worlds we typically see in a lot of mainstream fantasy. I love the way Yang explores and integrates gender into the world and how they manage to blend so many different cultural elements together seamlessly. I just wish we had more time to explore the magic system and to learn way more about the training.
I did really enjoy Mokoya and Akeha's relationship as siblings, I just wish we got more time between the two of them, especially with Mokoya. I do think the author does an amazing job at quickly establishing the personalities of each character, even though not all of the established characters are that multi-dimensional. What other characters lack though Akeha, especially, and Mokoya more than make up for.
I think my biggest problem was that I just wanted more of the book. While I do believe that Yang did an amazing job with the space they had, I just wish the time jumps weren't as sudden or extreme.
Beyond that I absolutely adored this book and would absolutely recommend it.
Graphic: Child death, Emotional abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Abandonment, Blood, Gore, and War
sapphic_in_the_stacks's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This book was a pleasant, if rushed, reading experience. Yang manages to cram an incredibly well developed story and unique world into a short novella. My one criticism is that, due to it's shorter length, some of the relationships development and emotional ties between the characters suffers. Though it's clear based on the timeline proposed that these characters have developed relationships over decades, we don't see enough of that relationship building and formation to create strong emotional attachments to the characters. This story could have easily doubled in length and still had plenty of material, but I did appreciate the writing and story as it was presented. Definitely looking forward to further installations.
Moderate: Child death, Injury/Injury detail, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: War