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hybridhavoc'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
My largest issue with the book is that the author seems very taken with their magic system and everything else seems to mostly be in service to that. Most of the characters seem flat and inconsistent; knowledge of the world is info-dumped on us very abruptly; dialogue is often to-the-point in a way that feels incredibly unnatural and isn't even necessary. Sometimes the book just skips over what should be important dialogue. Need to convince this character to betray their own family? "He told her only what she needed to hear." That's not a conversation, that's a cop-out.
I know that the trend for modern fantasy is all about hard magic systems, and it seems like that is maybe where the love for this book comes from. After all, it does have what seems to be a clever magic system. I hesitate to call it a hard magic system though, as there are almost no actual details provided, and very little in the way of hard boundaries set. That makes sense, given that the magic system is basically programming, and when you're programming reality there aren't many boundaries beyond your knowledge and imagination. But by its very nature, then, I can't view this as a hard magic system. There is no point at which the author can't simply say "Sure they're in a pickle right now, but what's this? They just got cleverer and came up with a new bit of programming."
I think the part of the book that had me eye-rolling the hardest has to be the villains. They are absolute caricatures, the flattest of flat characters. I suspect that this, at least, gets better in future books in the series. But I honestly can't know for certain because almost none of the characters are consistent in this book.
There is more positive than negative in Foundryside, but I don't think there's enough positive for me to keep going with the series.
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Police brutality, and Medical trauma
Moderate: War and Classism
Minor: Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, and Slavery
raneyak'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: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Murder, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Trafficking, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Pedophilia, Sexual content, Vomit, and War
ashleymessimore's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Moderate: Cursing and Violence
Minor: Slavery and Medical trauma
skrulls'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: Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Medical trauma, and Murder
Moderate: Death, Gore, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual violence, Blood, Vomit, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
beebidon'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, Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Medical trauma, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Gore, Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, Police brutality, Dementia, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual content, Cannibalism, and Fire/Fire injury
mikarala's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Moderate: Gore, Slavery, Violence, and Medical trauma
astropova'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, Gore, and Murder
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Slavery, and Medical trauma
oldladysadie'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
10/10, no notes, RIP my bank account picking up the rest of this series because my local libraries only have Book 1 🫠
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Torture, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Slavery, Blood, and War
kriti's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Death, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Medical trauma, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Slavery, Colonisation, and Classism
Minor: Child death, Cannibalism, and Car accident
ink_and_wings's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Violence and Murder
Moderate: Gore, Misogyny, Slavery, and Medical trauma
Minor: Cannibalism and War