major_tom'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? No
2.75
At first, I was afraid the lore would be too confusing - I am not very familiar with space-related fiction and never had much interest in it. Here, the story started straight away - I liked how we discovered things along the way, without long and boring history lessons. Each chapter has a short passage before it, which could be a letter, a quote, or other short piece that gave more insight into the world. I love good exposition and, I’m my opinion, Linden A. Lewis here did a great job.
The main character are interesting, flawed and have their own priorities and desires. There are some flaws, but I’ll talk about them later.
I loved how unique this world is. It really stands out with how logical historical development of each nation is.
However, I got quite disappointed by the end. The ending felt rushed, used mostly explanation rather than exposure, and gave a bit of flat character development. I saw how some things before could be linked to the plot twists, but still it wasn’t satisfactory. I felt that the ending was made that way to create reason for the next book. I am afraid that the next books will turn to obvious conflicts and will greatly worsen in world-building. In my opinion, the book by itself is great as stand-alone (if the ending was changed). I hope I’m wrong, because I still enjoyed it most of the way.
Graphic: Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Body horror, Bullying, Blood, Emotional abuse, Violence, Racism, War, and Slavery
brukneem'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? No
4.0
Moderate: Gore, Body horror, Racism, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Confinement, Colonisation, Gaslighting, War, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual harassment, and Torture
booksthatburn'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
4.0
Graphic: Death, Bullying, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Transphobia, Murder, Physical abuse, Medical content, Racism, Violence, Body horror, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Dysphoria, Ableism, Colonisation, Medical trauma, Sexual content, War, and Xenophobia
Minor: Rape, Vomit, and Self harm
salemander's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Medical trauma, Sexual assault, Torture, Death, Colonisation, Slavery, War, and Body horror
jamielikestoread'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? No
4.5
Graphic: Body horror, Racism, and War
Moderate: Colonisation and Dysphoria
Minor: Terminal illness
dariusmortee'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? No
5.0
I am very intrigued with this story and am looking forward to the rest of it. The characters are interesting and the premise of the book gives even a bit of dystopian that we all love from books like the Hunger Games.
Graphic: Body horror
rtaire'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? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Classism, Medical trauma, Violence, War, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Misogyny
Minor: Transphobia
lanid's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Moderate: Ableism, Dysphoria, Medical trauma, Racism, Terminal illness, War, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Bullying, Classism, Death, Gun violence, Medical content, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Torture, and Body horror
kaylamoran'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
Graphic: Blood, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Torture, Body horror, Confinement, Gaslighting, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Xenophobia, War, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Racism, Vomit, Transphobia, and Murder
almost_literate's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Moderate: Body horror