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freesiaelect's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Minor: Homophobia, Murder, Suicide, and Grief
ethuiliel's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Grief, Death, Murder, Gore, Violence, Suicide, Body horror, and Outing
Minor: Rape, Religious bigotry, Infidelity, Medical content, and Pregnancy
bergha1998's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
“‘Tranquility in strength’ meant having the strength to keep one’s tranquility of mind, no matter what the world brought.”
Graphic: Violence, Gore, Murder, Body horror, Death, Grief, Suicide, Blood, and Mental illness
thewitchwhoisabook's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Minor: Blood, Murder, Violence, Suicide, Grief, Death, and Domestic abuse
istiel's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Violence, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Homophobia
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Domestic abuse, Infidelity, and Deportation
kittalia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Murder and Grief
Minor: Addiction, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, and Racism
aardwyrm'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? No
4.5
Graphic: Murder, Suicide, Vomit, Violence, Pregnancy, Medical content, Gaslighting, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Domestic abuse, and Blood
Minor: Rape
ellanarose'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
4.75
Graphic: Death and Suicide
Minor: Grief, Homophobia, Murder, and Pregnancy
shanaqui'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
4.0
The book is a murder mystery, essentially -- actually, several -- and also features more directly obvious magic than in the first book. There are ghouls and ghosts, and Celehar's ability to commune with the dead is also a much bigger part. Inevitably, the various stories come together to some degree, but it doesn't come together in too neat a knot; they aren't all related. (For fellow mystery fans, I have to say that I don't think you can actually work this one out for yourself; we don't have enough information about a particular character to be able to discern their motive, means or opportunity.)
Celehar is just as tortured a character as he seemed from the previous book, and it should be noted that (in this book at least) there's comparatively little comfort for him. There is a short scene where another character does manage to lighten the burden of his conscience, and he also makes a friend... though the friendship -- and the potential that it could be more -- also frightens him, because he isn't over the secret he confesses to Maia in The Goblin Emperor. If you're looking for something that feels as hopeful as The Goblin Emperor, then this isn't it; Celehar is deeply guilty, and though his care for his work and his compassion for the dead are as sincere as Maia's goodness, he is not driven by the same need to be mindful, to be good. He's a very different character, and it gives the book a different mood and flavour.
In a way, this is a mash-up of Addison's other books, The Goblin Emperor and The Angel of the Crows, and I don't love it quite as much as either. I think it suffers somewhat from brevity -- at 275 pages, I was wondering how it could possibly be tied up by 314 pages, and the answer is that a couple of the story threads feel rushed -- but despite that, I liked it a lot.
Graphic: Suicide, Grief, and Death
Moderate: Homophobia and Outing
alyshkalia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Suicide, Death, and Medical content
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Gore, Grief, Homophobia, and Outing