A review by dancers_and_dragons
This Gilded Abyss by Rebecca Thorne
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
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
5.0
Thorne does a stunning job of sweeping the reader along into this world, where mysteries run rampant and are unfolded as the pages turn. The tension and care and tumult between the characters was perfect to make me feel for them through each chapter, and the attention to detail brought things to life.
While I'd wished for a less ambiguous ending, I'm definitely bittersweet about finishing this book and I'm looking forward to the next installment of this series.
While I'd wished for a less ambiguous ending, I'm definitely bittersweet about finishing this book and I'm looking forward to the next installment of this series.
Graphic: Mental illness, Murder, Blood, Classism, Death, Colonisation, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, War, Xenophobia, Violence, Chronic illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Alcohol, Cursing, Medical content, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Body horror, Child abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Confinement, Gaslighting, and Religious bigotry
Sexual content:
Colonisation/Xenophobia/War: The country the protagonists live in, Valkesh, is at war with another society, the Triolan. From what I can determine from how certain things are explained, these societies do not look different from each other or have different racial features, but they do hold animosity toward each other.
Betrayal:
Classism: There is a clear hierarchy between civilians and the monarchy, with aspects of wealth and privilege that are mentioned heavily throughout the book and occasionally used as a power play between characters.
Emotional abuse/child abuse/confinement:
Confinement: At various points, the main characters or side characters are confined in rooms for quarantine or in attempts to barricade themselves from others. Also, 90% of the book takes place in a vessel that is travelling beneath the ocean.