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peppermintz'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
Unrelated but ugh, the adults in this book are kinda useless. Not in a Series of Unfortunate Events way, more in a kid slipping the cracks.
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Death, Sexual assault, Police brutality, and Murder
chrissycat1115's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, and Murder
errie's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Kidnapping, and Murder
caroline88cici's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Violence and Murder
Moderate: Pedophilia, Rape, and Injury/Injury detail
nessynoname's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Violence, Excrement, and Murder
Moderate: Mental illness, Pedophilia, Religious bigotry, Stalking, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Torture
dannilmp's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
I still think this series maintains a level of mysticism similar to the original trilogy, however I think a re-read of the His Dark Materials set would be needed for me to make any more solid connections, but more details about the compasses and how they work was intriguing. Moreover, I think reading this book just made me pine for the original, as these hold a special place in my heart.
There was one small little section of this book that made me raise an eyebrow and it would be the minior reference to pedophilia, I did not see the neccessity of such a dark inclusion within the book. The story would have been the same without the mention, but the fact it was there threw me off slightly. I'm hoping for no similar references in later books in this new series.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Pedophilia
nadiaherondale's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual content
montereads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
However, on its own merits, the book is in many ways lacking. Alice is spirited, but doesn’t really contribute anything to the journey except childcare, a kind of pigeonholing I didn’t expect from Pullman after as phenomenal a protagonist as Lyra. This irritated me throughout, as she had such potential. Beyond that, the purpose of the whole narrative relies entirely on who Lyra is established to be in the central trilogy. I’m not sure what reading this is like if you aren’t already invested.
Overall, seriously worth the read for big fans of HDM. However, if you’re new to Pullman and wondering if his more recent work is the better place to start, I don’t think I recommend these.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Sexual assault, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse and Rape
whatsnack_'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: Animal cruelty, Stalking, and Murder
Minor: Gore, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
tifftastic87's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Stalking, and Murder
Moderate: Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Torture, Blood, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, and Classism
Minor: Ableism, Alcoholism, Animal death, Gun violence, Racism, Rape, Sexual content, Gaslighting, and Alcohol