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hayreading'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? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Trafficking, Toxic relationship, Racism, Police brutality, Slavery, Gun violence, Gore, Grief, Confinement, Child death, Torture, Physical abuse, Medical content, Genocide, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, War, Kidnapping, Deportation, Cursing, Bullying, Violence, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Drug use, and Alcoholism
nerdybookqueen's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
The only reason I didn't DNF this is I had nothing else to read.
I remember mostly enjoying Priory, so I thought I would try the author's other series. I regret doing so.
There is something...very icky about a white woman writing a narrative of other white people becoming slaves/having segregation, combined with, as I saw one other reviewer point out, the fact their "masters" were POC. Gross. One of the rare times I wish I could say "no" to there being a diverse cast.
Combine that with the whole "striped of a name and replaced with a number that is branded into her, where she and others like her have to work to survive until they die or are killed?" That sounds an awful lot like a historical event that maybe shouldn't be copied as a plot point by a Christian (or at least raised Christian) author. (She mentions this in response to an anon on her tumblr)
Added to this mess is the fact that her two love interest options are a human man who was an adult when she was like 6, or the man who OWNS her, invades her mind and manipulates the shit out of her, so we have some stunning love interest options here. But clearly it's okay because he calls her by her name and feeds her. The bar is in hell. And maybe it was just because I was so skeeved out but the options, but the romance was also just suddenly there?
Beyond that, the plot was really not that exciting, the writing was a bit too dense, with a lot of info dumping and a lot of jumping back and forth in time without clear distinction which drives me nuts. I had trouble tracking what was going on, there were several times I had to reread parts and figure out what was happening.
I will not be reading the rest of the series, and I may need to reread and reassess Priory as well.
Graphic: Child death, Racism, Death, Murder, Confinement, Kidnapping, Trafficking, Violence, and Antisemitism
Moderate: Gaslighting, Blood, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Drug use, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Addiction, Fire/Fire injury, and Police brutality
banrions's review against another edition
it's one of those books that really needs you to do a lot of listening to the worldbuilding, and not always in a fun way, so it took me ages to get through the first couple of chapters, because it just wasn't grabbing me. but then it started to!
annnnnnd then i saw the writing on the wall of how the central romance and dynamic was about to go down, like, right away as soon as the main girl is basically... kinda? sold into a sort of slavery/subervience role to this powerful dude. and i was like... yeah... nah, i'm good. i don't need to read another hetero romance that tries to make a fucked up dyanmic interesting or romantic. that's... been done to death and i'm simply too over hetero romances to give a shit. (i fully admit that if this had been two women, i might have stuck around, because inevitibly, that one fact inherently changes the power dynamics in a way that you can make something interesting/or different about it if you wanted to. but... this probably isn't gonna be that). at this point in my life, if you want me to read somethingt that's not queer anymore, then it's gotta be worth my while. and this is just not my bag. maybe it is for you! i'm not judging at all, i love me a fucked up dynamic in fiction if it's got something interesting to say/explore, but this one isn't for me.
i enjoyed her priory book though! so i'm not saying this author sucks or anything of the like, i'll be keeping an eye out if she ever gives that a sequel or writes something other than this series, but this one ain't for me.
Graphic: Confinement, Kidnapping, Slavery, Toxic relationship, and Trafficking
heera's review against another edition
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
A way better depiction of a master / slave (not romantic) relationship is made in the Fifth Season by NK Jemisin.
Outside from these few critics, I think the book is still worth reading and I had a really good time doing so ! This is clearly a first book, but a promising first book, and I will for sure be continuing with the Bone Season.
Graphic: Physical abuse and Slavery
Moderate: Toxic relationship
deerestdoe's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Violence, Slavery, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Body horror and Toxic relationship
Minor: Drug abuse and Eating disorder