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nokvi's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
4.0
Oh I think book 3 is my favorite out of the three. As always with my YA reads, I remember I am not the target audience and assess them from that view point and Natasha really put her pen to work.
I question the need for dual POVs but this version really had me thinking, especially in the context of Ketai's actions
I question the need for dual POVs but this version really had me thinking, especially in the context of Ketai's actions
- "What is the moral line in war?"
- "At one point in the revolution do we become our oppressors in the very attempt to uproot them?"
Ketai Hanno really brings that into focus thru Wren as we navigate the resistance side. As Wren learns that she is more than the vengeance machine her father made her
And I'm not talking about fighting, the basis of a revolution and resistance is violence; rights and equality irl weren't won in via peaceful measures. No what is examined how much of ourselves can we morally sacrifice to obtain our goal
Lei herself also faces her own issues as she realises how skewed the ideology she was preaching in previous books do not hold weight in these circumstances. As she battles with her own trauma paired with the responsibility (and consequences) that comes with being the Moonchosen, Lei comes to terms with how much persons have sacrificed and are willing to give up in the name of her protection
heavy topics with heavy themes and I just loved every second of it
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Sexual assault
Minor: Child death, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Torture
bookishmillennial's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- 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
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial
I thought this tied up the series nicely, but I almost wonder if this could have been a duology instead. I obviously am just a peasant, have never written a book, -let alone a trilogy- but I wonder if the story would have felt more succinct and held its direction if it was a duology.
It took me a bit to get invested in this one (granted, it had been a year since I read the second book in the series, so that’s on me), because I struggling with the pacing and the “fluff” if that makes sense.
However, towards the latter half of the book, I did feel more pulled in, especially since there was a lot more action happening (which is funny, because I’m historically not a “pew pew action war” honey).
Anyway, I loved the rotating POVs of Lei and Wren, and felt their voices were much more pronounced and distinct in this book. I loved that representation of them coming more into themselves 🥹 The climax of the war, the aftermath, and seeing our favorite characters wrangle with that was done tactfully and lovingly.
Overall, I am glad I read this trilogy and think it would do well if optioned and adapted for tv or film! Give us an all-API cast & adapt this YA fantasy!
I thought this tied up the series nicely, but I almost wonder if this could have been a duology instead. I obviously am just a peasant, have never written a book, -let alone a trilogy- but I wonder if the story would have felt more succinct and held its direction if it was a duology.
It took me a bit to get invested in this one (granted, it had been a year since I read the second book in the series, so that’s on me), because I struggling with the pacing and the “fluff” if that makes sense.
However, towards the latter half of the book, I did feel more pulled in, especially since there was a lot more action happening (which is funny, because I’m historically not a “pew pew action war” honey).
Anyway, I loved the rotating POVs of Lei and Wren, and felt their voices were much more pronounced and distinct in this book. I loved that representation of them coming more into themselves 🥹 The climax of the war, the aftermath, and seeing our favorite characters wrangle with that was done tactfully and lovingly.
Overall, I am glad I read this trilogy and think it would do well if optioned and adapted for tv or film! Give us an all-API cast & adapt this YA fantasy!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, War, and Violence
Moderate: Pregnancy, Death, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
cass_ward's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Torture, Physical abuse, Violence, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Blood, Domestic abuse, War, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Kidnapping
Minor: Pregnancy
harrisgrace's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, War, Rape, and Violence
Minor: Grief, Alcohol, and Pregnancy
ailaw_'s review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, War, and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent, Adult/minor relationship, and Murder
Minor: Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Sexual assault, Rape, and Homophobia
ms_sarah621's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- 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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Emotional abuse, Murder, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual violence, War, Blood, Death of parent, Mental illness, and Torture
beth019's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- 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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, and War
Moderate: Ableism and Torture
dododenise's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- 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
3.0
I can’t even pinpoint where it went wrong. I just wasn’t engaged in the book at all. Not the characters, relationships or plot.
It deals with the topics it addresses well, yet somehow nothing really touches me. It’s a shame, really.
It deals with the topics it addresses well, yet somehow nothing really touches me. It’s a shame, really.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, War, Chronic illness, Kidnapping, Slavery, Grief, and Confinement
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Pregnancy, Rape, and Sexual assault
prettynerdy3's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Torture, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Gore, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Murder, Pregnancy, Racism, Rape, Blood, Genocide, Medical trauma, Sexism, Suicide attempt, Violence, and War
schnaucl's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- 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? It's complicated
2.5
I was frustrated. I do get that people can continue to love someone even when that person has done horrible things. The heart wants what the heart wants, etc.
But it felt like the assassinations/war crimes commuted by Wren and her father were glossed over and Lei mostly feels bad about what she said to Wren regarding, you know, the war crimes. She puts her mercy killing of someone who asked to die in the same category as the political assassination of an innocent person and the murder of innocent civilians with a kind of well, everyone's got blood on their hands so it's all the same. But it isn't the same. At all.
And Wren may have to confess what she's done to Aoki, but that happens off screen and it's personal, there are no systematic consequences. All the other families who lost someone because of Wren and her father never learn the truth.
It's compounded by the fact that Wren's father doesn't survive so no one has to actually grapple with the fact that he also would have been a terrible, power hungry ruler who probably continued to commit atrocities while thinking he was behaving righteously. Even the fact the fact that he sent his daughter to be repeatedly raped is given a paragraph where Wren basically says she's tried really hard not to think about it over the years. I also get that having her father live probably would have required another book to deal with his disastrous reign and that would probably be stretching the story too far.
And I also get that Wren was a product of her upbringing which obviously shaped her thinking and personal ethics and morals.
But the book really does seem to have an attitude that everyone's hands are dirty and the good side won in the end so I guess sacrificing innocent people was the right call? Aside from the one fight with Lei and Wren there's no real grappling with the consequences of what Wren and her father did. Wren feels really bad about it at the end. But she's still part of the ruling council. What keeps Wren and Lei from living together isn't that one of them committed war crimes it's that Wren has a duty to rule without asking if she deserves to have that power. Weirdly, that doesn't seem to be a question that's ever asked.
Maybe there was no other way but you can say that and still think the people who committed the war crimes shouldn't hold power after because they may be tempted to reach for those same methods when it is expedient rather than (arguably) necessary.
The second book at least raises questions about even if a person does the ruthless but necessary thing whether they'll be able to live with it after the war is over and I just felt like this book doesn't seriously return to the question and it really needed to.
I'm not saying Wren needed to be executed or exiled. But it seems like there should be more personal consequences than she gets to rule and help shape the future of the new country and live happily ever after with her beloved. It's not that it costs her nothing, she does lose a key ally and the woman she loves is mad at her for a while and certainly people she cares about die but their deaths aren't really a personal consequence unless say there wouldn't have been a war in the first place but the book doesn't really go there, either.
I also get that if she came out at the end and said let me confess the truth to the country it would undoubtedly tear the new government and country apart. But there's never even a question about doing it. It doesn't occur to anyone that it might be necessary except in the case of one particular friend, which again is off screen and there's certainly no suggestion that Aoki might reveal it to anyone else.
And Lei still never questions how well she knows Wren or her own ability to judge people after the woman she loves admits to war crimes. Also her own alcoholism is entirely absent in this book so I guess withdrawal wasn't a problem in captivity.
I did like the very end which talked about new traditions.
But it felt like the assassinations/war crimes commuted by Wren and her father were glossed over and Lei mostly feels bad about what she said to Wren regarding, you know, the war crimes. She puts her mercy killing of someone who asked to die in the same category as the political assassination of an innocent person and the murder of innocent civilians with a kind of well, everyone's got blood on their hands so it's all the same. But it isn't the same. At all.
And Wren may have to confess what she's done to Aoki, but that happens off screen and it's personal, there are no systematic consequences. All the other families who lost someone because of Wren and her father never learn the truth.
It's compounded by the fact that Wren's father doesn't survive so no one has to actually grapple with the fact that he also would have been a terrible, power hungry ruler who probably continued to commit atrocities while thinking he was behaving righteously. Even the fact the fact that he sent his daughter to be repeatedly raped is given a paragraph where Wren basically says she's tried really hard not to think about it over the years. I also get that having her father live probably would have required another book to deal with his disastrous reign and that would probably be stretching the story too far.
And I also get that Wren was a product of her upbringing which obviously shaped her thinking and personal ethics and morals.
But the book really does seem to have an attitude that everyone's hands are dirty and the good side won in the end so I guess sacrificing innocent people was the right call? Aside from the one fight with Lei and Wren there's no real grappling with the consequences of what Wren and her father did. Wren feels really bad about it at the end. But she's still part of the ruling council. What keeps Wren and Lei from living together isn't that one of them committed war crimes it's that Wren has a duty to rule without asking if she deserves to have that power. Weirdly, that doesn't seem to be a question that's ever asked.
Maybe there was no other way but you can say that and still think the people who committed the war crimes shouldn't hold power after because they may be tempted to reach for those same methods when it is expedient rather than (arguably) necessary.
The second book at least raises questions about even if a person does the ruthless but necessary thing whether they'll be able to live with it after the war is over and I just felt like this book doesn't seriously return to the question and it really needed to.
I'm not saying Wren needed to be executed or exiled. But it seems like there should be more personal consequences than she gets to rule and help shape the future of the new country and live happily ever after with her beloved. It's not that it costs her nothing, she does lose a key ally and the woman she loves is mad at her for a while and certainly people she cares about die but their deaths aren't really a personal consequence unless say there wouldn't have been a war in the first place but the book doesn't really go there, either.
I also get that if she came out at the end and said let me confess the truth to the country it would undoubtedly tear the new government and country apart. But there's never even a question about doing it. It doesn't occur to anyone that it might be necessary except in the case of one particular friend, which again is off screen and there's certainly no suggestion that Aoki might reveal it to anyone else.
And Lei still never questions how well she knows Wren or her own ability to judge people after the woman she loves admits to war crimes. Also her own alcoholism is entirely absent in this book so I guess withdrawal wasn't a problem in captivity.
I did like the very end which talked about new traditions.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Physical abuse, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, War, Torture, Death, and Violence
Minor: Racism, Rape, and Pregnancy