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iydpyd'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
4.5
There were a couple parts that lagged for me
I think the book does a great job of walking us through complex and hard ideas and world building.
For a story that covers so much ground and has something of a tone shift when a military school story turns into a war story, it didn’t feel disjointed. It’s not hopeful. It doesn't make you feel warm about humanity. There’s not much “goodness” in this.
I don’t think it’s the best book to pick up if you’re in a place of deep anxiety or feeling fragile personally. It didn’t nothing to help with my general anxiety, which was already peaking, during the week I was reading it.
I’m halfway through The Dragon Republic and I’m have more criticisms of that one. I don’t know about the whole series, but I do think this first book was very much worth the read- if only for the execution (of the story.)
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Addiction, Bullying, Colonisation, Confinement, Misogyny, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Murder, Classism, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, and Abortion
esdiecinueve'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
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Addiction, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Murder, Genocide, and Grief
Moderate: Slavery, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Vomit, and Xenophobia
melstinylibrary'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
5.0
Graphic: Rape and Sexual violence
chris_reads's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Rape, Violence, Animal death, Gore, Colonisation, War, Racism, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, and Torture
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Grief, Drug abuse, Sexism, Child death, Self harm, and Sexual violence
Minor: Bullying, Excrement, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Addiction, and Vomit
sipteareadbooks's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Sexual violence, War, Torture, Genocide, and Rape
cup_cake'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
First, it starts out quite tame. A girl who usually would have no chance to, got into the most prestigious school in her country and studies there, making friends and enemies. And then it all escalates. In the last fourth I had to close the book and wind down with a cup of tea and just sit with my thoughts, because it was just so cruel and I did not expect to be so affected by what happened.
If one is familiar with Japanese/Chinese history, there are some parallels to some of the most horrible parts.
Graphic: Genocide, War, Animal death, Drug abuse, Blood, Death, Violence, and Torture
Moderate: Sexual violence, Rape, Classism, Suicidal thoughts, and Pedophilia
porktheorc's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Rape, War, Violence, Child death, Child abuse, and Sexual violence
makaylasb's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Violence, War, Rape, Blood, Sexual assault, Bullying, Classism, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Addiction, Colonisation, Death, Drug abuse, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Murder, Physical abuse, Self harm, Racism, and Sexual violence
queenjuly's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: War, Violence, Death, and Genocide
Moderate: Rape and Sexual violence
jays_secret_garden'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
5.0
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•6/5⭐️
Nothing could have prepared me for the third part of this book. I foolishly thought that the second part was absolutely crazy, but the third? Devastating. This book completely changed my perspective on life. It was so beautifully written that I feel like people don’t write books like this anymore. The FMC, Rin, is one of the best characters I have read in my entire life. From the first line she had in the book, I knew. Her absolute rage and hate actually means the world to me because how dare they make women and children hurt this much?
The topic of war, genocide, r*pe, etc., is HEAVY. I didn’t really read the trigger warnings because I like to go into books blind, but please read them :). Nothing could have prepared my heart for the heartbreak it would experience while reading the Golyn Noriis part, and even more so after reading the author’s note and finding out everything was inspired by real-life experiences of Chinese people. It broke my heart to read Venka’s story—I was sobbing!!!
I cannot wait to continue with the series because every two pages, something insane and unpredictable happens, and I AM SO EXCITED FOR THE NEXT BOOK!
Graphic: Misogyny, War, Police brutality, Pedophilia, Self harm, Physical abuse, Child death, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Medical trauma, Sexual harassment, Rape, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Gore, Murder, Violence, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Drug abuse, Trafficking, Xenophobia, Cultural appropriation, Death, Death of parent, Genocide, Gun violence, Torture, Slavery, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Sexual assault, and Blood