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corrin_takara's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Death of parent
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Blood
Minor: Child death, Confinement, and Religious bigotry
elenaluisa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death, Violence, and Death of parent
r_lumbrix'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
The level of world building is absolutely phenomenal! To create not just one, but 4+ worlds, each with their own people, animals, landscapes, culture, and language—and then to have those worlds interact with each other, depend on each other—is astounding. Not only that, but each world is populated with fully-realized characters who grow and change throughout the series. And not only that, but the plot is incredibly complex, with a history spanning hundreds of years, and I couldn’t find a single plot hole. I’m not going to summarize, only praise. As fantasy series go, this has surpassed Harry Potter, the Chronicles of Narnia, and LOTR for me.
Moderate: Death and Violence
Minor: Blood and Religious bigotry
erynelle'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
Moderate: Death and War
anni_swanilda's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse
orchidlilly's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
First the good: when people said the books got too religious, I expected a thinly veiled Jesus metaphor like is found in Narnia, instead I was pleasantly surprised with the opposite. It's really quite refreshing to read a book whose religious themes are critical of the church as opposed to praising it. I found the whole 'kill god' basis of Asriel's motivation rather amusing and the commentary on the church is, as a Christian, very accurate and not without basis. The writing is, as always, impeccable, and I found myself becoming very attached to the minor characters of Dr. Mary Malone, the Galevespians, Balthamos, and Baruch.
The bad: It annoys me greatly that Lyra is once again reduced to nothing more than a damsel in distress for Will to moon over. For the majority of the book, Lyra is asleep and helpless, and once she wakes up, she becomes a nervous, clingy, mostly useless ingenue. The only time we get to see the old Lyra is in the land of the dead, and that fire is short-lived. For all Will loves to wax poetic about how strong and stubborn Lyra is, we get to see exactly none of it. There is also the matter of the character deaths. After Scoresby and Mr. Perry, the deaths of our beloved side characters begin to feel very forced and unnecessary very quickly. Asriel and Coulter's "redemption" is so short, abrupt, and seemingly out of character that it leaves a bitter taste in the mouth. Worst of all, is the romance between Will and Lyra. The entire book, the budding romance feels both painfully obvious and forced. The love conquers and fixes all theme is tired at this point, and it only works if the characters have any chemistry as lovers, these two are just about as ridiculous as Romeo and Juliet. So many questions are left unanswered that the story almost feels unfinished, which is a great disappointment given Pullman's in-depth worldbuilding from the two previous books.
Three stars because up until the last seven or so chapters, the story is just as captivating as its predecessors.
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Chronic illness, Genocide, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, Colonisation, and Classism
jessthanthree's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, and War
Minor: Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, and Death of parent
bi_n_large'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
4.5
Graphic: Child death, Death, Murder, and Abandonment
Moderate: Child abuse, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Death of parent
jonny_joe's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Death
pixxyhex'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? No
4.25
I loved the fist in the trilogy "Northern lights", and I hated the second " The Subtle Knife ".
I think the big difference for me , was that in the first book I grew to love most of the characters , where in the second I found really disliking one of the main characters ( Lyra ) and not caring about any of the others. Also the story seemed to drag on for me .
This time I was again transported into the wonderful multiple worlds with characters I could again care about and root for.
The story for me, was much more fast passed ( which I prefer ) as well as engaging.
It took my over a couple of months to get through the second book. This one took me 3 days.
Over all I loved this book and I loved that the ending was
Graphic: Death and Death of parent