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book_dragon_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Terminal illness, Police brutality, Medical content, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, Child death, Death, War, and Blood
this_is_naomimi'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Medical content and Blood
Minor: Sexual harassment
sophs_mood_reading's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
When the rebel queen arrives in a state close to death the warden and the prison rebels both demand one thing of her: Keep her alive. 🤦♀️
So now she must do the impossible, all why trying to figure out what strange deadly stomach sickness is spreading throughout the prison as well as not be too distracted by the new handsome and charming inmate.
A little slow in parts and I did predict a major plot point fairly early on, I still really enjoyed this start to the trilogy.
Read if you like:
Found family
Hidden identities
Slow burn romance
Elemental magic
High stakes challenges
Graphic: Self harm, Sexual harassment, Death of parent, Child death, Physical abuse, Murder, Medical trauma, Grief, Violence, Pandemic/Epidemic, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Death, and Confinement
katelynnreads's review against another edition
5.0
“you’re right, you don’t need me fighting your battles. But if you’ll let me, I’d like to be standing beside you as you fight them”
“Our scars define us. They tell a story of courage and survival. They tell of who we are at our deepest being, of the challenges we've faced and overcome”
I devoured this boon on our trip to Canada. It was beautiful & full of horrors at the same time.
Graphic: Addiction, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Medical content, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Murder, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Alcoholism, Physical abuse, and War
Minor: Grief
christygsp's review against another edition
4.5
Our main characters are engaging, interesting and encircled by such an interesting world.
The ending……. I went out and got the next two books on almost that alone. I GOTSTA know what happens next!
Careful of content/trigger warnings (I will list below) but the author didn’t go tooooo far with those so just be aware.
Graphic: Violence, Torture, and Confinement
Moderate: Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Gore, and Child abuse
csmall73's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Drug use, Drug abuse, Toxic friendship, Misogyny, Gaslighting, Slavery, Grief, Gore, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Sexism, Self harm, Mental illness, Medical content, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Death, Child abuse, Murder, War, Torture, Trafficking, Terminal illness, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, Panic attacks/disorders, and Pandemic/Epidemic
grace_yin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Violence, Murder, Confinement, Blood, Child death, Death of parent, Medical content, Physical abuse, Torture, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Self harm, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, and Sexual assault
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Domestic abuse
av0universe's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book surprised me in a good way. I really like the worldbuilding and Kiva as the main character is interesting, to say the least.
Tipp is the cutest character ever 🫶 and for the most part, I really liked the found family
Seriously, I can’t stop thinking about that ending. It blew my mind even though I guessed most of it. Amazing. The narrator is everything here.
I’m pretty sure I dreamed of this book today
Mother is dead.
I’m on my way to Vallenia.
It’s time to reclaim our kingdom.
Graphic: Vomit, Slavery, Blood, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Grief, Death of parent, Death, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Self harm, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Medical content, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Slavery, Addiction, Rape, Sexism, and Torture
Minor: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Self harm, Sexual assault, Vomit, Violence, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Torture
readabilitea's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
The primary problem for me was how unnecessarily repetitive the writing was. I felt like I was being treated as stupid and as if my hand needed holding all the time, as though without the constant recapping, the stating the obvious, and the incessant reminders of "Don't let her die. We are coming." I would have forgot everything I had read up until that point.
I also felt this handholding and the telling rather showing aspect of the writing was a problem when it came to some of the sensitive issues handled in the book.
This book is full of YA fantasy tropes and I see why people like it, after all that's exactly why I picked it up: I wanted an easy, action-packed read that would be difficult to put down. Ultimately though this backfired because I was left with so many questions that regularly took me out of the reading experience. If the prison is regularly overpopulated, why would you just accept kids coming in with the parents? The guards clearly don't mind being cruel so why would you not just forcefully separate children and their arrested parents before getting to the prison? Why are the trials impossible without magic and not just very very difficult?
A slightly more minor point of annoyance was that the pacing was off. It starts off promisingly but slumps majorly in the middle section, which is even more baffling considering the whole appeal of a Trial format is the suspense and danger that propels a story forward. Instead of this, we spend pages upon pages conducting pointless scientific experiments?? And then it picks up at again towards the ending, finishing on a lot of drama and 'revelations' which felt contrived and fell flat.
Overall, I was pretty disappointed in this book and even the desire for plot resolution isn't enough to make me want to read the rest of the series.
Graphic: Sexual harassment and Violence
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Self harm, and Sexual assault
Minor: Addiction and Drug abuse
guessgreenleaf'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? No
5.0
Graphic: Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual harassment, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Misogyny, Grief, Death, Confinement, Blood, and Death of parent
Minor: Self harm, Domestic abuse, and Addiction