aseel_reads's review
adventurous
dark
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
4.25
Super fun fantasy novel, big fan of the Italian inspired setting! I liked the characters a lot and I'm excited to see the magic system unfold here
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Slavery, Torture, Trafficking, Violence, Vomit, War, Misogyny, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
turrean's review
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
The world and its system of magic are vividly imagined. Watching the internal "rules" of the techno-magic unfold as the story develops was one of the best parts of this novel. The parallels to AI, and to troubleshooting and debugging one's magical software, were delightful.
Less pleasant was the scene where a girl is threatened with sexual assault. Since the author repeatedly describes her as young, small, and slight (other characters call her "kid," or "young lady," as you would a child or preteen you're scolding) the scene had some revolting overtones.
The in-world term for "f~@king" was used constantly, sometimes multiple times a page. Whenever a character wants to insult or threaten another, it's always about some in-world euphemism for the male genitalia. It got old really fast. It honestly would have been less jarring to use real-world language.
Less pleasant was the scene where a girl is threatened with sexual assault. Since the author repeatedly describes her as young, small, and slight (other characters call her "kid," or "young lady," as you would a child or preteen you're scolding) the scene had some revolting overtones.
The in-world term for "f~@king" was used constantly, sometimes multiple times a page. Whenever a character wants to insult or threaten another, it's always about some in-world euphemism for the male genitalia. It got old really fast. It honestly would have been less jarring to use real-world language.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Sexual assault, Slavery, Physical abuse, and Torture
Minor: Trafficking
cdonegan's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The writing style isn’t my favorite. Chapters are split up into fairly short chunks, often a page or less, in a way that feels unnecessary and a bit choppy. I love the magic system though, very unique and very detailed! The characters are also really interesting. Even if I didn’t love the writing style, I did love nearly everything else.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery and Sexism
jokehelldo's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-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
5.0
If I were to explain this book in one word, it would be "Na-ah" or "gaslighting".
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Slavery, and Violence
Moderate: Misogyny
Minor: Sexual violence
st156's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Slavery and Torture
ryangiglio's review against another edition
adventurous
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Gore
Moderate: Slavery
beckahh_i's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- 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? It's complicated
4.75
I tried reading this last year and DNF it, but came back and liked it quite a bit. I don't like much gore so parts of this were a bit much for me, but otherwise it was a good storyline and the magic system is really interesting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Murder, Slavery, Violence, Vomit, and War
mikarala's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Incredibly clever and well-written introduction to a new fantasy world. The magic system in this series is so unique and well-realized, and Bennett has clearly thought through all the thematic implications of this system. The characters, plot, setting, world-building, and themes all just felt incredibly cohesive, in a way that made this novel thoroughly enjoyable and thought-provoking. The only reason I held back from giving it a full 5 stars is that I don't feel like I truly fell in love with the book at any point, however I don't really have anything bad to say about it either. A very excellent start to a fantasy trilogy.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Slavery, Violence, Gore, and Medical trauma
astropova's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Misogyny, Slavery, Sexism, and Medical trauma
briely'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Confinement, Blood, Death, Misogyny, and Body horror
Moderate: Slavery and Sexual harassment
Minor: Child death