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sierraclimbs'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
It’s Avatar the Last Airbender but make it Victorian & instead of mastering the elements you burn metals to manipulate your surroundings. Also with a few “avatars” instead on one.
I also think the story is very similar in tone & characters to Six of Crowd by Leigh Bardugo. But it read a little more mature to me, while Six of Crows felt more YA. But I think if you enjoyed one you’d enjoy the other.
The world & magic system are so well thought out. Every time I thought I found a loophole it was explained away soon after as if the author was reading my mind!
This book honestly felt like a stand alone. But I am still eager to pick up the next in the series!
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Violence, Slavery, Blood, Body horror, Death, Gore, and Racism
Moderate: Grief, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Torture, War, Rape, Genocide, Medical content, Murder, and Sexual assault
patrickdm'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
Graphic: Death, Torture, Violence, and Slavery
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Murder, Body horror, Racism, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Hate crime, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Sexual violence, and Genocide
emsavors's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Colonisation, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Hate crime, Gore, Grief, Rape, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, War, and Xenophobia
mallorypen's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
That said, once the plot really started to get going after the end of Part 1, this was a fantastic political thriller and mystery. Vyn as a protagonist was NOT a Mary Sue - which was great - and I got so frustrated with her lack of empathy in some situations, her selfishness in others, and her decision-making pretty much across the board. I don't know if I liked her character (and I'm pretty tired of the Chosen One trope) but I did root for her. Her inner monologues were ... a bit wooden, for my tastes, but they got the job done.
Once we got into the story and the others were able to develop their personalities a little more, I generally liked all the various members of the crew. They all became distinct from one another, and
I agree wholeheartedly with the general consensus that Brandon Sanderson writes a FABULOUS fight scene. The action is written so clearly, and even with a complex magic system making up 80% of the sequences, I really felt like I was there in the moment fighting alongside the characters.
I'd also posit that Brandon Sanderson writes a mean twist. <spoilers> Marsh actually being alive, and having gone through the process to be an Inquisitor ... I totally didn't see that coming. Or, Kelcier's overarching plot to make himself a legend and then let himself be killed? Mind. Blown.
A few things that gave me pause:
- A white CIS man writing a female protagonist who comes from an enslaved people subjected to torture and subjugation for a thousand years ... I don't know. It hit me in a weird spot how similar some things were between the nobility/Ska and white/Black people; the abuses felt VERY familiar and I'm not sure how I feel about it coming from who wrote it. I don't know. It will take further rumination on how exactly it bothers me.
- The instalove between Ellend and Vyn. Tired, boring, blegh. Why did we need a romance, here?
Anyways. I will read the next two books, but I will be giving myself a break.
Moderate: Death, Xenophobia, Slavery, Sexual violence, War, Murder, and Violence
aeternus's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Abandonment, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Rape
mads_reads_books's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Classism, Adult/minor relationship, Genocide, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Death, Confinement, Slavery, Police brutality, Physical abuse, War, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Domestic abuse, Violence, Torture, Child death, Ableism, and Abandonment
Minor: Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Grief, Police brutality, Racism, Sexual assault, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Violence, Genocide, Mental illness, Sexism, War, Blood, Body horror, Confinement, Cultural appropriation, Drug use, Physical abuse, Rape, Slavery, and Toxic friendship
naomi_k's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Gore, Slavery, Blood, Death, Violence, Murder, and Classism
Moderate: Confinement, Torture, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Injury/Injury detail, Forced institutionalization, Body horror, Child death, and Abandonment
Minor: Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Genocide, Religious bigotry, Rape, and Death of parent
stardewrally's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Blood, Murder, Death, and Torture
Moderate: Violence and Sexual violence
Minor: Rape
lindseychastain's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I think the thing about this book that I loved so much is that it was really… accessible. It’s not like a lot of high fantasy that is overly indulgent and so much world building that you get lost in it. It’s really an excellent balance of magic/world building and just good street telling.
Lots of standard tropes here, which is definitely cool with me. But gosh, the characters were all so lovable. I love Vin so much.
This is part of trilogy but it works really well as a stand alone as well, if I felt I needed to leave it here. I will continue the series, but I don’t feel compelled to dive right back into it. I kinda like that.
Graphic: Torture, War, Murder, Abandonment, Vomit, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Child death
shlymiller'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
4.0
Graphic: Torture, Rape, Violence, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Grief, Blood, Medical content, War, and Death