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welgan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
That being said, I love Thara Celehar. He's traumatized and sad and severely lacks self-esteem, but he's sweet, he's relatable, he's highly lovable, and I really want to see him go better and make friends and heal. I will definitely read the other book in the series because I love the world and characters, and even if this book was confusing some times, it was interesting and quiet.
Graphic: Murder and Homophobia
pvbobrien's review
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Homophobia, Murder, Suicide, Body horror, Blood, and Death
Minor: Outing, Classism, Vomit, and Pregnancy
jupitermond's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: Death, Suicide, and Murder
Moderate: Domestic abuse
Minor: Pregnancy, Homophobia, and Rape
kal517'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
3.0
Graphic: Suicide, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Homophobia, Gore, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Rape, Pregnancy, and Racism
maria_klondike's review
- 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
4.75
Moderate: Homophobia
achingallover's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death, Suicide, and Murder
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Violence, Alcohol, Rape, Sexual harassment, Homophobia, War, and Racism
istiel'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? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Violence, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Homophobia
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Domestic abuse, Infidelity, and Deportation
griffinthief's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Murder, Suicide, and Death
Minor: Homophobia, Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Vomit, Violence, Rape, and Pregnancy
ellanarose'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
4.75
Graphic: Death and Suicide
Minor: Grief, Homophobia, Murder, and Pregnancy
shanaqui's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The book is a murder mystery, essentially -- actually, several -- and also features more directly obvious magic than in the first book. There are ghouls and ghosts, and Celehar's ability to commune with the dead is also a much bigger part. Inevitably, the various stories come together to some degree, but it doesn't come together in too neat a knot; they aren't all related. (For fellow mystery fans, I have to say that I don't think you can actually work this one out for yourself; we don't have enough information about a particular character to be able to discern their motive, means or opportunity.)
Celehar is just as tortured a character as he seemed from the previous book, and it should be noted that (in this book at least) there's comparatively little comfort for him. There is a short scene where another character does manage to lighten the burden of his conscience, and he also makes a friend... though the friendship -- and the potential that it could be more -- also frightens him, because he isn't over the secret he confesses to Maia in The Goblin Emperor. If you're looking for something that feels as hopeful as The Goblin Emperor, then this isn't it; Celehar is deeply guilty, and though his care for his work and his compassion for the dead are as sincere as Maia's goodness, he is not driven by the same need to be mindful, to be good. He's a very different character, and it gives the book a different mood and flavour.
In a way, this is a mash-up of Addison's other books, The Goblin Emperor and The Angel of the Crows, and I don't love it quite as much as either. I think it suffers somewhat from brevity -- at 275 pages, I was wondering how it could possibly be tied up by 314 pages, and the answer is that a couple of the story threads feel rushed -- but despite that, I liked it a lot.
Graphic: Suicide, Grief, and Death
Moderate: Homophobia and Outing