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yulecogs's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
0.5
Graphic: Mental illness, Sexism, Suicide, Ableism, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, Animal cruelty, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Self harm, Violence, Infidelity, Gaslighting, Cursing, Sexual harassment, Animal death, Body horror, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Body shaming
theintrovertsbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Sexism and Misogyny
Moderate: Animal death, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Blood, and Sexual content
Minor: Sexual harassment, Confinement, Death of parent, Violence, Suicide, Sexual violence, Rape, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, and Pregnancy
singalana's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Sexism, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Blood, Infidelity, Fire/Fire injury, Rape, Suicide, Death, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Kidnapping, and Emotional abuse
lizbethandthelifeinbetween's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
2.0
The writing is so good. I'm going yo get that out of the way. But everything else... I had to put this down multiple times a comb through reviews to make sure I wasn't the only one baffled by this. It has some.scenes that could have been in Game of Thrones, making the tone very inconsistent when bu all other accounts this feels like a YA book.
I understand what the author was trying to do: make a statement on abuse cycles, and how they're perpetrated. That part was OK. It's the ending that gets me. I don't understand it. It was so weird and unnecessary. Also, I woild have liked more build-up to Ama freeing herself. It all happened so fast, especially when the author took over 10% of the book building up to lilling the dragon (and not telling us HOW u til the very end, and its so stupid. I understand Ama's relationship to the dragon and I do like it, but the other part with Emory was just a big NO). And when we do find out what happens it's so unsatisfactory. So much is said yet nothing happens. I think the ideas were there but it was poorly executed, and when dealing with this sort of subject matter you can't mess it up.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Rape, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Misogyny
mattiedancer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
- Women looking for a feminist fairy tale
- Those who love fairy tale reconstructions
- Those who want all that plus dragons and castles
CW: Blood, injury, suicide, sexual assault, sexual content, rape, toxic relationships, misogyny, sexism, emotional abuse, violence, domestic abuse, physical abuse, gaslighting, animal cruelty, animal death, death, death of parent, eating disorder, classism, pregnancy, kidnapping
Graphic: Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic relationship, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Sexism, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Classism, Rape, Domestic abuse, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Self harm, Pregnancy, Suicide, and Kidnapping
booksthatburn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
This is an extended, decently layered metaphor for a bunch of things related to sexism, misogyny, and ideas of cis women in relation to cis men. Given the particulars of the Ama's characterization, it feels like she's someone who isn't a cis woman but is being forced to behave as though she is. That is literally what's happening, in one sense, but I can't tell whether the book is engaging with ideas of queerness or if this very long metaphor for a woman's role in relation to men is missing ideas of queerness entirely. In one very important sense, Ama is not a woman, is not attracted to men (or at least is not attracted to Emory), and is being made to behave as if she is a woman who likes men. She must fulfill her role in order to support Emory in his role, where that someone does what she is told to do is essential, but the very fact of her being the one to do it is completely irrelevant. Her station matters but her personhood does not, as far as everyone around her is concerned.
In order to save her wildcat's life from her king's wrath, Ama must tame her, removing those qualities which make Sorrorow (the wildcat) so fierce and vibrant. The more Ama learns what is and will be required of her, the more she tries to find a way out, some other option which will let her be happy.
I like the audiobook narrator, this was a good performance which helped the story flow easily. My favorite part is Ama's project towards the end of the story.
There are some pretty explicit discussions of sex but they use antiquated terms for everything, in keeping with the vaguely medieval setting. I was able to guess the ending reveal ahead of time. Part of that is the way it's coy but not subtle. At the end my reaction is kind of meh. I liked it, but its bluntness meant I wasn't waiting to find out happened. Instead I was waiting for it to get where I already knew it was going. That can be fun, but I thought it would have more to it in the end.
Graphic: Sexual content and Sexual assault
Moderate: Death, Excrement, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Sexism, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Suicide, Self harm, Pregnancy, and Violence
ka_ke's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Animal death, Kidnapping, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Blood, Body shaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Mental illness, Murder, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, and Sexual content
egurgens's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
First of all, let me just say the writing in this is VULGAR. Now, I'm not afraid of smut, even graphic smut. But the author added obscene details to parts of the book where they don't belong! Like during sex, I get it. But when the character is just being dried off, you don't need to go into such detail.
Anyways. Now for the actual review. Rant over. The character of Emory is so wholly misogynistic, I wanted to stab him myself. Through the pages. As if rescuing someone makes them your property. As if her being your fiancé gives you the right to gaslight her, emotionally abuse her, and more. The men in this story are so shitty, not one is even decently mannered. You would think that the queen mother, who was in the same position as Ama, would be sympathetic. It seems as though Ama is the only sane character in the book! Like, who doesn't resent
I am sorry that I am so critical of this book. I really enjoyed the general idea, and the general plot. But some things I just cannot get over. I read the whole book, and I greatly enjoyed the end. However, the whole time I was just super frustrated with the writing and the characters. The only acceptable characters in this are Ama, Tilley, and Sorrow. That's it. Ama did grow throughout the story. She tries to accept her role, but as she learns more about it, the more uncomfortable she becomes with her role. But still, she stays long after any reasonable character would have taken some sort of action. I mean, to be fair, she has no prior knowledge of any family or anything, so she would try to make the best of things. But I think there should be a limit. It's not like she loves him, or anyone in the castle. She is not pregnant with his child. She could have left. Where would she go? I don't know. Anywhere but there. So she is a bit weak willed, but eventually takes action. Tilley isn't perfect, she was only a servant, and she obeyed what she was told. She could have helped Ama, or told her what she knew about the other Damsels. Anyways. There were no strong female characters in this book. As a 20 something woman, I think we need to do better. Women need to write strong women, to help raise other women up. Don't write every woman as pathetic or weak, have some diversity, set some good examples for your young readers. Do better, Elana K. Arnold.
TLDR: excessively obscene writing, excess of misogynistic characters, and weak willed women.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Medical content, Pregnancy, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Violence
Would NOT reread