surdiablo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- 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? Yes
4.0
My feelings are a bit complicated when it comes to this one, but I believe it's safe to say I didn't love it like the original trilogy, although it's an excellent standalone novel. I will explain what I liked first. As usual, Abercrombie excels at writing characterizations with such distinct voices and having delightful, humorous banter between each other, which often were among the highlights of this book for me. Without getting into direct spoilers, there were indeed several references and appearances of certain characters, both major and minor, from previous trilogy. They all served their purpose very well and was integrated rather tastefully with proper reasons, than just for the sake of cameos. The book also retains a cinematic effect during action sequences and other important scenes, just like in the trilogy and was also reminiscent of 'Kill Bill' movies which I really liked. Some of the character growth might be different from what you may expect at first, but they left me with a lot to ponder about in a bittersweet way, which I actually appreciate.
As for what I didn't like, I found the book to be dragging somewhat in certain sections which felt like a chore to read sometimes, but of course not in an extreme way, like with certain Wheel of time books. My major problem, which I'm sure your mileage will definitely vary, was that the main character wasn't much interesting to me. Now don't get me wrong, Monza is fine on her own and was definitely a strong badass who you can root for, it's just that I personally found her a bit too straightforward and bland with the goals she had in mind and her actions in general, while the side characters were simply more appealing as people to read about. I loved all of their arcs regardless either way, especially the irony surrounding some of them.
As for what I didn't like, I found the book to be dragging somewhat in certain sections which felt like a chore to read sometimes, but of course not in an extreme way, like with certain Wheel of time books. My major problem, which I'm sure your mileage will definitely vary, was that the main character wasn't much interesting to me. Now don't get me wrong, Monza is fine on her own and was definitely a strong badass who you can root for, it's just that I personally found her a bit too straightforward and bland with the goals she had in mind and her actions in general, while the side characters were simply more appealing as people to read about. I loved all of their arcs regardless either way, especially the irony surrounding some of them.
Graphic: Sexual content, War, Violence, and Torture
Minor: Child abuse
iono's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- 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? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Violence, and War
Moderate: Alcoholism, Torture, Drug abuse, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Incest and Sexual content
danprisk's review
dark
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? No
3.5
For me this book goes way too far into violence. The other books in the series I've read have similarly awful graphic violence, but it didn't quite put me off like this one. I think that the others balance the violence with a decent amount of tension of other aspects going on which makes the violence feel like just one part of the story, whereas BSC leans fully into constant extreme violence. It feels like barely a page goes by without someone being killed, maimed, or tortured in an extremely graphic and brutal manner. The nihilistic philosophy becomes a lot more pronounced and centre stage here as well, so that the idea that there can be anyone or anything decent or good goes by the wayside. This total darkness kind of nullifies it's impact, so the book just began to feel a bit off putting for me. I think this might be the sort of book that appeals to those who enjoy "torture porn" type horror, but it's a bit too much for me.
Graphic: Torture, Violence, and War
middlekmissie's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Violence, War, and Sexual content
lvl52_grant's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- 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? Yes
4.5
This book was crazy. I had a lot of expectations after the First Law trilogy, and this met them all. Meeting old characters again, being introduced to new ones, and seeing them all scattered violently over fictional Italy was a read worthy of numerous adaptions. So many scenes deserve to be put film, all described in beautiful and disgusting detail. It takes the tropes of a fantasy and makes them feel modern, and grabs you by the throat the whole time!
Graphic: Violence, Blood, and War
Moderate: Sexual content
narsere's review
adventurous
dark
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Murder, Sexual content, Violence, Gore, Alcoholism, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, and War
Moderate: Incest and Cannibalism
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