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saltymango's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
I really enjoyed this book, I loved the plant magic and the world Raasch created.
Let me say upfront, if you are looking for a story about gay pirates and/or any kind of solid romantasy, this is NOT it. The main focus of this book are the politcal/religious conflicts and how the characters dealing with that.
The characters while their experiences may not be totally relatable, they have realistic reactions and mental states, that do make them relatable. Also I deeply appreciate that this girl with a violent past, isn't just fine and dandy with violence- it's refreshing and more realistic compared to alot of the novels with 'strong female leads' now. I am not someone who enjoys purely character driven stories, but I felt what Raasch gave us was just enough. All that being said, I find this mostly a plot driven book. I enjoyed the exploration of the complexities in different cultures and having this religious zealot ruler and also being post rebellion.
Some things I think could be better:
-the romantic relationship (A/V) felt a little sudden/forced. No chemistry really, or maybe just not enough time fleshing it out. Same with her bond with his crew.
- the pacing, or maybe just the way we are introduced to all the aspects of the conflict and the world. Raasch avoided info dumping, but then left us scrambling to make sense of everythinf introduced. I think this is why initially, even though I had found myself interested in the book, It wasnt a 'I-cant-put-this-down' type of read and took a while to get in to.
- world building: needed just a little MORE. Also, aspects that were supposed to probably be immersive, pushed me away and actually felt jarring or pulled me out of the story.
Overall, though I really enjoyed it and would reccommend.
Let me say upfront, if you are looking for a story about gay pirates and/or any kind of solid romantasy, this is NOT it. The main focus of this book are the politcal/religious conflicts and how the characters dealing with that.
The characters while their experiences may not be totally relatable, they have realistic reactions and mental states, that do make them relatable. Also I deeply appreciate that this girl with a violent past, isn't just fine and dandy with violence- it's refreshing and more realistic compared to alot of the novels with 'strong female leads' now. I am not someone who enjoys purely character driven stories, but I felt what Raasch gave us was just enough. All that being said, I find this mostly a plot driven book. I enjoyed the exploration of the complexities in different cultures and having this religious zealot ruler and also being post rebellion.
Some things I think could be better:
-the romantic relationship (A/V) felt a little sudden/forced. No chemistry really, or maybe just not enough time fleshing it out. Same with her bond with his crew.
- the pacing, or maybe just the way we are introduced to all the aspects of the conflict and the world. Raasch avoided info dumping, but then left us scrambling to make sense of everythinf introduced. I think this is why initially, even though I had found myself interested in the book, It wasnt a 'I-cant-put-this-down' type of read and took a while to get in to.
- world building: needed just a little MORE. Also, aspects that were supposed to probably be immersive, pushed me away and actually felt jarring or pulled me out of the story.
Overall, though I really enjoyed it and would reccommend.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, and War
woolgathering_jane's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- 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
Such a good book. Loved the complex politics and quite heavy themes (that were explored in a safe, fictional space), the world, the magic, the characters, and the subtle Spanish/latin inspiration (lol), and the twists??? Omg
The worst thing about it is the writing style that didn't really resonate with me, but it was fine. And this book doesn't have that strange quality that makes you obsessed with it, that's why it's not 5/5. But it was good, I really enjoyed it.
The worst thing about it is the writing style that didn't really resonate with me, but it was fine. And this book doesn't have that strange quality that makes you obsessed with it, that's why it's not 5/5. But it was good, I really enjoyed it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Confinement, Torture, Grief, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Racism and Fire/Fire injury
bookcaptivated's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Torture, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Kidnapping, Colonisation, and Classism
Minor: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Drug use, Gun violence, and Murder
clarabooksit's review
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Terminal illness, Violence, Religious bigotry, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Colonisation
Moderate: Physical abuse, Grief, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Torture
athenathestorier's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
While not necessarily new in concept, I did find myself getting swept away by this story. The subplots and characters reminded me of Chima’s Heir Chronicles and Maas’s Throne of Glass series. I liked that we see a lot of racial diversity within the set-up of this fantasy world, with some of the same micro-aggressions and concerns that you would see in real life, especially within a melting pot country ripe with conflict. Also of note is that one of our 3 POVs/Main characters is a queer man, as well as a few support characters, and this is never made a big deal of within the story. This is representation that a lot of us have been calling for for a while.
However, the fast-paced story was so plot-driven that the characters felt like they were being excessively dragged by it. None of their actions really made a difference during the entire duration of this book. And even though Lu was presented to us as composed and battle-efficient, she loses any semblance of these traits at the mere mention of the real enemy or their associates. Granted, this is due to battle trauma, but we are led to believe that everyone wants her with them on the battlefield despite the ONLY show she’s done to warrant this is the escape at the very beginning of the book and the fact that she never spills their secrets. While I’m sure that book 2 plans to solve all of this, the description sounds like all 3 characters will be battling with same exact internal battles for a while yet.
Notable quotes:
"Lu clung to that pride like she clung to hope."
"Better to wound your ego with compromise than feed your own pride with blood."
Notable quotes:
"Lu clung to that pride like she clung to hope."
"Better to wound your ego with compromise than feed your own pride with blood."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Death, Torture, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Physical abuse and Racism
fool_ofabook's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Torture, Religious bigotry, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Child abuse, Torture, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship
talkstofish's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
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
5.0
This book was the first recommendation from Storygraph that I received and finished. I was absorbed into the storyline immediately. The book centers on 3 characters from different backgrounds: a prince of a country that maintains power through religious oppression, a woman who lived and fought through a revolution as a child to free her island from that country, and a man who was tortured by that country and lives on the fringes of the island's society. As the island is on the brink of a civil war and the oppressive colonizers make their own moves in the shadows, all the characters question and grow their world views as they try to prevent needless deaths at the hands of various "leaders". The ending of the first book is a tense and exciting cliffhanger, and I cannot wait to get started on the second book.
One of the 3 main characters is LGBTQIA+, as well as a few minor characters. It's normal in the world-building, but the first book doesn't contain any super happy functional relationships (for anyone, really) if that's what you're looking for.
One of the 3 main characters is LGBTQIA+, as well as a few minor characters. It's normal in the world-building, but the first book doesn't contain any super happy functional relationships (for anyone, really) if that's what you're looking for.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Child abuse, Drug abuse, and Forced institutionalization
stranger_reader's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This book has a really slow beginning, but it picks up after a couple of chapters and it becomes more action packed and a lot more interesting. I really enjoyed the conflict and the characters and the way they interacted. The magic system was also really fascinating. I like how plants are magical and there are multiple plants and uses. This book also has pirates, and I love pirates so I really enjoyed that aspect. This is a pretty solid fantasy and I assure you you will not be prepared for the ending.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Torture