squinnittowinit'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? No
3.5
It's written as a memoir, so the fictional author as the narrator is writing about a time in the far past, and she does say that she finds some of the sexism to be ridiculous now, but she still makes weird "men vs women" statements that just reinforce harmful gender stereotypes.
She also read as very Victorian British, in that she was a noble from a colonizing nation
Spoiler
on a journey to a colonized nation, full of privilege and perceived superiority. She freely insults the local people and culture and looks down on them for having less than her, and in the end, has barely any more appreciation for them when she leaves.Spoiler
She's also very callous about killing dragons for science, which I didn't appreciate, as someone who respects nature and living things.Still, I enjoyed the dragons and I enjoyed the mystery plot. I just wish it had more modern values.
Graphic: Misogyny and Sexism
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Classism, Violence, Mental illness, Blood, Gun violence, Xenophobia, and Death
Minor: Colonisation, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Kidnapping, Body horror, Cannibalism, Confinement, Medical content, Grief, and Murder
novella42's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Blood, Violence, Xenophobia, Death, Grief, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Gore, Gun violence, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Classism, Medical content, and Religious bigotry
claudiamacpherson's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Blood, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Death
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Sexism, Gaslighting, Grief, Medical content, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence
a_moon_witch's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I loved the first half of the book, while not being an exceptional read I wanted to read more and was thoroughly invested in the characters. However, the story starts losing focus towards the end and I found the ending tedious and almost ridiculous. The turn of events at the end felt forced and lazy and I felt betrayed for this choice.
The end is lacking also regarding the writing. There are several instances where the author could have simply showed things, but chose to state the obvious on more than one occasion. I condoned this as the main character being a "know-it-all" and taking for stupid her readers. Thus a character flaw. However, this method did not fit well to the end, which is supposed to be action and tense packed, but ended up drowning the story.
I would still be interested in reading the other books if they happen my way.
Graphic: Medical content
Moderate: Animal death and Miscarriage