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ash_ton's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Torture, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Homophobia, Suicide, Vomit, and Alcohol
tinysierra's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
“Today he would become a god. His mother had told him so.” pg 1
An amazing epic fantasy with intriguing diverse characters. Wow. Also… mermaids! Giant crows!
There was a mix of character driven and plot driven moments. I felt like there was a lot of slow/medium paced moments where there was more focus on character development/interactions but it did pick up in some places with more plot related aspects. It kept my attention either way.
The timeline hopped around a bit, jumping back into the past and then forward into the present. Slowly putting the pieces together. The chapters had the date along with experts from in world media (like journal entries), which really added to my immersion.
I liked Xiala and Serapio’s chapters the most. It was nice to see the story through a blind characters perspective. I hope to see more about Xiala’s powers in the next book.
In this book, queer characters are accepted in some of the societies but not others. There are characters that use neopronouns (xe/xir)! Xiala mentions that she takes pleasure with “men, women, and other genders” which I assume means that she’s bi or pan.
The ending was fast and admittedly a little anticlimactic but I don’t find myself feeling disappointed. I’m curious about where the story is going.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Biphobia, Confinement, Drug use, Homophobia, Suicide, Lesbophobia, and War
Minor: Animal death, Infidelity, Sexual content, Vomit, and Abandonment
bersblue's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, and Alcohol
mandkips's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Violence
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Cursing
bookishbutch's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Physical abuse, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Genocide, Xenophobia, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Biphobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Violence
caseythereader's review against another edition
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
✨MINI REVIEW✨
A ship launches from a distant city bound for Tova and set to arrive on the solstice. The captain of the ship, Xiala, is a disgraced Teek whose song can calm the waters around her as easily as it can warp a man’s mind. Her ship carries one passenger. Described as harmless, the passenger, Serapio, is a young man, blind, scarred, and cloaked in destiny. (via Goodreads) 📚
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Things I liked:
📚 Casual queerness - pansexuality, gender neutral pronouns, trans characters, and none of it even factors into the main plot
📚 A big, sprawling world with intricate tribal history and relations
📚 Political intrigue, but not too much
📚 Visceral images - I could feel and smell and taste this world
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Things I didn't like:
📚 THAT CLIFFHANGER, I NEED BOOK 2 NOW!
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Content warnings: suicide, sexual harassment, substance abuse, gambling, murder, death.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Sexual assault, and Suicide