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ems_book_shelf's review against another edition
3.5
Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism
Moderate: Physical abuse, Violence, and Blood
stardust_heidi'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
5.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
alicelalicon's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Abortion
smoore236'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
Graphic: Sexism, Violence, Xenophobia, and Police brutality
Moderate: Death, Hate crime, and Misogyny
Minor: Homophobia, Outing, and Sexual harassment
ender24'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
4.0
Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
teatowel'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
3.5
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, Police brutality, Fire/Fire injury, and War
powellki's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Misogyny and Police brutality
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Blood, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury
haikx's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book reminded me a lot of The Book Eaters. I valued the message transmitted through the story, but some details refrained me from loving the book in its entirety.
The fight for women's rights and the challenge to the patriarchal system, together with the topic of hegemonic masculinities from a gender perspective, is something I haven't encountered extensively in the fantasy genre, and I appreciated it.
This book handles all of the above issues in a direct, entertaining, and nonetheless crude way. Injustices and oppressions are constantly present in the story, but also the spirit of effort for a dignified life, equality, and respect for the rights of all people, regardless of their gender or personal beliefs. I loved the incorporation of the topic of alliances among minorities, along with the emphasis on raising awareness of the privilege that cis men have in society. (Something extra that's been widely discussed in gender equality studies, that was also addressed in the story, is that being a queer male does not inhibit anyone from following the behaviors of hegemonic masculinity).
Now, some elements prevented me from giving the story a 5-stars rating.
First, the world-building is little, if not nil. It was difficult for me to situate or reference the story to a particular time period, and I mostly felt confused about how to picture a particular setting inside my head. The magic system is not something new in the genre, but it could have been managed more interestingly. It never became clear how it works, and where it comes from to the point it felt very extra to the story. Finally, overall I found the book to be predictable and the pace slowed to a point where I considered abandoning it.
It hasn't been one of my best reads, but I think that for a debut, it was pretty satisfying.
Graphic: Hate crime, Sexism, and Police brutality
Minor: Abortion and Sexual harassment