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romance_slut89's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Physical abuse, and War
ironhorse19's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- 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
5.0
Simply an incredible book series. Holds you by the throat until you get to the last page.
It's a deep dive into the human reality and themes of innocence.
It's a deep dive into the human reality and themes of innocence.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Animal death, and Death
lizzieuch's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Violence, and War
brookebatesratesbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Violence, War, and Death
Moderate: Animal death
abigailhaagen's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This one wasn't great. The first book in the series was so good, and the next was ok, but this one was hard to finish. It was super slow, had little or no characterization, had bland writing, and didn't have a satisfying ending. The characters claimed to have morals but were just selfish brats. I didn't care for anyone, and the stakes, despite technically being high, didn't feel high at all. A lot of out-of-character choices were made too. It was a struggle, and I didn't enjoy reading it or the outcome of the trilogy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Torture, Racism, Misogyny, Body horror, Blood, Colonisation, Death, Suicide, Emotional abuse, Murder, Physical abuse, War, Violence, Genocide, Grief, Sexism, Gaslighting, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, and Police brutality
sneha_m's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Genocide, Murder, War, and Suicide
andreapap15's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- 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? Yes
3.5
felt like it strayed from the initial gender essentialism and went full steam ahead on the horrors of war while trying to make nazi mayor the tiniest bit redeemable... Still had some really interesting elements about the spackle and the whole voice of the planet which could have been expanded more on, instead of a few hundred pages about bombings and rifles.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War and Gun violence
Minor: Animal death
vodnik's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- 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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Fire/Fire injury, Animal death, and Death
wendleness's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
My biggest gripe with this book would be the length. It did not need to be 600 pages long. There wasn’t enough plot or action to warrant the amount of words. It was only really the last 150-200 pages where things really picked up. Most of the book sees Todd and Viola having the same conversations over and over again. No one trusts the Mayor but they’ve got to keep an eye on him. No one trusts Mistress Coyle but they’ve got to get the truth out of her. Everyone wants peace but some people want glory to go along with it. Yadda, yadda, yadda. As much as it was easy to read, a large chunk of the book felt like a bit of a slog. I’d read 40 or 60 or 80 pages but the plot wouldn’t have moved forward much at all.
Despite some issues there were a lot of things I loved. I loved the Spackle—the Land—finally being fully involved and learning more about them. I loved the parallels between Todd and the mayor, Viola and Mistress Coyle, and the Return and the Sky. The parallels weren’t exactly subtle, but seeing all these characters, ostensibly from different groups and culture and backgrounds, all going through the same struggles and learning the same lessons was really quite powerful.
Of course the best thing about the book, the driving theme of the entire story, and the thing I’m still thinking about, is summed up nicely by the title. Throughout the book the overwhelming message from the several groups of people is a desire for peace. A desire to live a simple life without fearing for their lives or having to take up arms. Yet it is the actions and desires of a few—the few in charge, the few with power and influence, the few with selfish personal motivations—that dictate the course of action. That create monsters out of people and drag them into a war they’d rather not be fighting. It is a depressingly accurate account, I think, of power and how those who have it often choose to wield it.
A longer review can be read at my book blog: Marvel at Words.
Despite some issues there were a lot of things I loved. I loved the Spackle—the Land—finally being fully involved and learning more about them. I loved the parallels between Todd and the mayor, Viola and Mistress Coyle, and the Return and the Sky. The parallels weren’t exactly subtle, but seeing all these characters, ostensibly from different groups and culture and backgrounds, all going through the same struggles and learning the same lessons was really quite powerful.
Of course the best thing about the book, the driving theme of the entire story, and the thing I’m still thinking about, is summed up nicely by the title. Throughout the book the overwhelming message from the several groups of people is a desire for peace. A desire to live a simple life without fearing for their lives or having to take up arms. Yet it is the actions and desires of a few—the few in charge, the few with power and influence, the few with selfish personal motivations—that dictate the course of action. That create monsters out of people and drag them into a war they’d rather not be fighting. It is a depressingly accurate account, I think, of power and how those who have it often choose to wield it.
A longer review can be read at my book blog: Marvel at Words.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, War, and Violence
ashfantastic98's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder, War, Suicide, and Death
Moderate: Animal death