A review by sarah984
The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson

adventurous dark sad medium-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

4.0

I was a little skeptical about this book because I keep seeing it recommended alongside other books I didn't like very much, and the 'take an empire down from the inside' storyline can often be kind of cheesy. I'm glad I gave the book a chance (even though it hurt me severely) - this was a tragic story with fascinating characters that never lets you forget for a second the cost of empire. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Racism, Colonisation, and War

Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Genocide, Misogyny, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Outing, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Ableism, Addiction, Child death, Drug use, Pedophilia, Self harm, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Cannibalism, and Fire/Fire injury