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inkyinsanity's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, and Sexism
Moderate: Death, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment
kailatehanu's review against another edition
Moderate: Rape
mdpenguin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I'm trying to figure out why I thought that the writing was good when I was a kid. That's not something that I cared about as much then as I do now, but I do remember specifically liking the writing in this series. It's possible that I thought that the little snippets of ballads that act like dingbats between sections of the story were neat or something. Now I find the writing rather dry, with an affected style of dialogue that comes across as forced and a rather haphazard approach to descriptiveness. It's not terrible, but it's not good. It is good enough to get the story and the ideas behind it across without getting in the way, though.
I first read this series – or at least a big chunk of it – when I was in lower and middle school. I picked them up after my brother left them lying around and occasionally got one from the library and don't think that I read any two of them in order unless they were published together. That being the case, it's very possible that my opinion of this particular volume back then was colored by what I already knew of the series and it's possible that I enjoyed it more for the way that it provided back-story for the world that I was already engaged with. I think that I'll at least read the next book and see if my opinion changes: my fonder memories are of the Harper Hall series and one or two of the later books, so I'll probably read at least to the start of those.
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Rape
cinda_lu's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.5
The one one glaring issue I had with this book was
The writing itself had an undercurrent of patriarchy which was also unpleasant. But I found Lessa to be an admirable protagonist despite that.
Moderate: Misogyny and Sexism
Minor: Rape
yourbookishbff's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Fatphobia, Misogyny, and Classism
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Rape and Sexual content
Sexual encounters between the main characters are largely described as "dragon-roused" and nonconsensual. The male main character explicitly describes their sex as rape at one point in the narrative, suggesting she was not "warming up" to him. It is important to note that all sex scenes are implied and entirely closed door so there is NO graphic sexual assault on page (I wouldn't even call this fade-to-black, there is no explicit sex or intimacy beyond kissing on page). The alpha male and tempestuous/feisty female locked together by convenience who must grow to like each other is the foundation for the bodice rippers that would come in following decades and will feel familiar to readers of old-school romance. And a note on fatphobia: consistent with other books of this time period, fat characters are consistently described as either villainous or lazy/slovenly/etc. And there is a LOT of emphasis on the female main character being thin/small.exactimondo'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
2.5
I am sure it was groundbreaking in its time but now to me is past its time.
Graphic: Rape
onthesamepage's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I read this a long, long time ago, and I remembered parts of it being problematic, but I was curious to see how I'd feel about it now. And you know what, the problematic parts were still problematic. But the story and the world are just as interesting as they were when I read them the first time.
Instead of the conflict in this story being people at war with each other, the people are at war with their environment. That doesn't mean that there's no politics or in-fighting, because all of that exists, but it lends a different dynamic to it when one of the parties is in charge of protecting the entire planet. At the beginning of the book, the dragonriders have lost credibility in Pern, because the threat that they exist to fight hasn't been seen for 400 years. This leads to the different towns abandoning the agreements that have always been in place to support the Weyrs. Lessa is thrown into this chaos when F'lar decides she would make a good Weyrwoman. Through her, we slowly begin to piece together how the world functions, and to unravel all the mysteries we've been introduced to.
The strength of this book is really in the story it's telling, and not so much the characters or relationships. Yes, the bond between dragons and humans is cool, and it does get explored quite a bit, but I spent far more time being intrigued by the world and the Threads than the humans. There also isn't a romance to root for, even though one does develop between Lessa and F'lar eventually. Their relationship starts off extremely contentious, however, and it makes it hard to root for them as a couple, or for F'lar as a love interest specifically. There are multiple instances where he talks down to Lessa, shakes her, slaps sense into her, berates her, not to mention the implication of nonconsensual sex (fully off-page, but it is mentioned). And maybe it's a product of the time it was written in, but that doesn't make it more fun to read. Lessa is far from a doormat, though, and she gives as good as she gets at least 50% of the time. It also helps that she's the undisputed hero of this book, and her grit and determination makes it easy to root for her.
Graphic: Misogyny and Physical abuse
Moderate: Animal cruelty
Minor: Fatphobia and Rape
inbigtreble's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Child death and Misogyny
Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault
sarahgraace's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Minor: Rape
uranaishi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
Minor: Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Infidelity, Rape, Blood, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism