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talonsontypewriters'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: Addiction, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Violence, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, Xenophobia, Vomit, Medical content, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
Minor: Ableism, Homophobia, Infidelity, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Colonisation
kinomatica'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: Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Self harm, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexism, Kidnapping, Abortion, Outing, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, and Colonisation
Minor: Alcohol
caseythereader's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
- As much as I enjoyed this story, I can't talk about it without discussing the anti-fat bias woven through it, which really dragged everything down for me. Most minor characters weren't given physical descriptions unless they were fat. Then, every time they were mentioned, so was their fatness, and it never had any bearing on what was happening in that scene. Poor Chancellor Son was forever pursing his "thick lips," drumming his "sausage fingers" or heaving himself up on his "heavy elbows." Recruits who clearly weren't going to make it into the ranks of the clans were "clever, but pudgy," or "doughy and insipid." These fat characters were all shown as being lazy or incompetent in one way or another, often described as having once been formidable warriors who now ate and drank too much. If a character was described as being hardworking, loyal, etc., their size usually wasn't mentioned.
- This is not me telling you to cancel this book and this author - I just want to point out how pervasive these stereotypes are, and how often we don't even notice them in our stories (especially in fantasy, where the protagonists are usually thin and able bodied.) Read the book if the story sounds good to you, but go in aware of this aspect of it.
Graphic: Addiction, Body shaming, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Fatphobia, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Alcohol
Minor: Rape
alouette'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
4.5
also, i can't forget to mention that the action sequences were thrilling, keeping the book fast-paced, and the descriptions of the magic system were breathtaking. though i'll definitely need a break before diving into book 2, i'm excited to see where this high fantasy goes next.
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Dementia, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol
Moderate: Animal death, Misogyny, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting