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oleanderkite's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Grief, Sexual content, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Violence, and War
Moderate: Confinement, Death of parent, Addiction, Animal death, Cursing, and Gaslighting
Minor: Toxic relationship
princessrory's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Chronic illness, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Blood, Animal death, Ableism, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, War, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Colonisation, Xenophobia, Physical abuse, Animal cruelty, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Excrement, Addiction, Drug use, Drug abuse, and Gaslighting
cait'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
Minor: Abandonment, Alcohol, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Blood, Xenophobia, Confinement, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Torture, Classism, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Ableism, Colonisation, Stalking, War, Dysphoria, Kidnapping, Medical content, Physical abuse, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Violence, and Vomit
mermaidswithcoffee's review against another edition
It’s violent in a really colonized way, with unnecessary death and weird justifications. It reads like kids playing at war as if that’s a good and necessary thing. As if children need to be violent and awful to survive a mysterious eastern other. When the truth is THEY are the monster their parents created and the “other” are just trying to live, not kill them. It was present in the first book but I didn’t catch it, now it screams colonization and I can’t believe I didn’t see it before.
One example: She literally goes into detail about how these children soldiers make sure to dye their hair while hiding out at a traitor compound while they are supposed to be doing war games. Aren’t the teachers suspicious when they come back with freshly died hair when they were supposed to be barely surviving and on dragons? How did they find pink hair dye at the hidden revolutionary compound?!!! It just screams “girl boss”. “Isn’t it so cool that they have cool hair while murdering people?!!”
Another example which finally got me to DNF, which I hate doing, was when Violet justified the killing of her classmates. Said it was necessary to prepare her. With the ongoing genocide of Palestine it made me sick. Thinking of what lies and justifications the US and other white dominate countries have for why they have to bomb civilians.
There are way more problems, like her disability, the main reason I read this book in the first place. Just like everything else her disability is appropriated and rings so shallow. I have a literal connective tissue disease like Violet but I can tell you the representation is not real. I was so excited to see it and so disappointed to see that just like revolution in this book, it’s a stolen poor imitation of it.
I recommend the 5th season if you want world building and actual revolution not just the aesthetic of revolution.
Graphic: Islamophobia, War, Body horror, Genocide, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Slavery, Xenophobia, Murder, Ableism, Animal death, Biphobia, Cultural appropriation, Child death, Colonisation, and Emotional abuse
marena02'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? Yes
3.75
Graphic: War, Ableism, Bullying, Blood, Gaslighting, Genocide, Cursing, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Violence
hxlleann's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
Moderate: Blood, Confinement, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Torture, War, Kidnapping, Sexual content, Violence, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Grief
ka_ke'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? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Body horror, Gaslighting, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Confinement, Sexual content, Cursing, Blood, Death of parent, Violence, Murder, and War
Moderate: Abandonment, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Colonisation, and Medical content
Minor: Toxic relationship
lexigoyette's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
The cliffhanger though…
Graphic: Death of parent, Sexual content, and Death
Moderate: Gaslighting and War
spootilious's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
Title: Iron Flame
Rating: 1.5 / 5
Review:
1. The story concept is a good one. And if another author (a skilled one) had written this story I’m sure I would have LOVED it.
Onto the list of things I didn’t like:
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death of parent, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Murder, Cursing, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Medical content, War, Physical abuse, Toxic friendship, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Toxic relationship, and Blood
Moderate: Vomit
katvou's review
- 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: Animal death, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Violence, Gore, Medical content, War, Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Murder, Sexual content, Torture, Blood, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Death of parent, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Body horror, Drug use, and Bullying
Minor: Suicide attempt, Excrement, Kidnapping, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, and Self harm