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hasmazlom13's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
bethy_joy's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Racism, Violence, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Slavery, Suicide, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment
oddduck's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.0
Let's start with the things I unequivocally liked. I really appreciated that the pace in this book was faster than the previous one. It was still slower than I would have preferred, but more happened in the present and there were fewer interruptions (flashbacks, exposition). I also really appreciated that Minya got more page time and development. I was very interested in her in the first book, so learning more about her was appreciated. I really liked both of her dreams that Sarai went into, and it was delightful to see Minya choose Sarai over her army. In general, the character development in this book was very good and exactly what I was hoping for, especially for Minya and Thyon Nero (I was so happy with his development).
I also loved the new bit, about Nova and Kora. At one point I had to skip ahead because I had to know what happened in their test on the ship. It was so interesting and tense. It also demonstrated that Laini Taylor can write short, succinct backstory that's interesting and conveys all the information we need to not be confused later on.
Now then. What I’ve got mixed feelings about.
For starters, Sarai and Lazlo's relationship was cute, but I do wish the timeline on it had been longer. It was very instalove in the first book, and the way it's written in this one felt as if they'd known each other and been together for a lot longer than they really were. And I get why Laini Taylor did that, since almost the entirety of Lazlo's motivation for what he does after Sarai's death is to protect her ghost, but it still was a little hard for me. I would have preferred Lazlo have multiple motivations and not essentially just Sarai. Still, they're a cute couple, at least until I remember how long they've known each other.
I'm also not sure how I feel about the way the plot was executed. The Minya-villain arc was mostly resolved because a bigger threat was introduced, and then the last of it was cleared up when Minya had to make a choice. I really liked that Sarai was trying to help Minya through dreams, so it would have been cool to finish the plot that way. And that's kind of what happened, but it was with Nova instead, so it didn't feel quite as meaningful to me.
This duology was a little outside of my usual reading, which was nice, but it did remind me why I don't usually read this genre. They were certainly enjoyable and a good change of pace though.
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Rape, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Trafficking, and Kidnapping
Minor: Animal death
escapismforlife's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Also how cool Sarai's, Sparrow, and Nova's gift are after they change for better or worse.
Not to mention the fact that Kora is Korako. Not to mention Rook, Warren and Kiska who are the most badass characters reveals ever.
This is one of the best sequel fantasy books ever. Laini Taylor is a fantastic YA author. I felt a whole lot in the second half of February reading this and wish I'd done it sooner.
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, and Murder
sporemiette's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Child death, Suicide, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Trafficking, and War
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Drug use, Homophobia, Xenophobia, Pregnancy, and Abandonment
hanarama'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
• Beautiful prose
• Omniscient narrator, looks into all POV
• Expanded world building
The Bad:
• Shallow romance
• Lazlo felt useless
You Might Like This if You Like:
• Frozen
• Devoted sisters
• Sympathetic antagonists
While the first book reminded me a lot of Atlantis, thus one reminds me more of Frozen due to the Nova's arc.
Here we learn more about the gods, and more specifically about Kora, who was the goddess of secrets. We learn about her past and about her sister, Nova who is a POV character. Through Nova, significant world building is accomplished. We see the true nature of the gods as well as learn what their purpose in Weep was. It really helps to set Nova up as a very sympathetic antagonist.
And though Minya is at times very frustrating, we learn a great deal about her backstory here. As a result, Minya becomes more than just a vengeful permanent-child.
There is a lot more time spent exploring side characters in this book. It really helps to flesh out the world. It also helped me to connect with the larger picture of the story.
The biggest let down was in how utterly useless Lazlo was through most of the story. He's wholly devoted himself to Sarai in this book, and thus undergoes very little development, and he makes little use of his abilities in dealing with the antagonists.
Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Grief, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Child death, Domestic abuse, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail