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bookishmillennial's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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? Yes
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
This book is told from the point of view of Loren, an important member of the rebellion, which I felt was a promising start to this book. Ummmm, wow. This book was again graphic, brutal, unrelenting, and devastating. If you are going to read this series, manage your expectations because woof.
I really should not have thought this duology would have a happy ending though. I get that this is a commentary on leadership, how oppressive structures are so deeply intertwined and instilled in us, and how much harder it is to win a revolution and lead a rebellion than it is to just "fall in line and take it". However, it was not a feel-good or hopeful series. Sheesh. (I don't need happily ever afters in every book, I was just thoroughly surprised with this one, that's all!)
Anyway, I won't spoil too much, but I will say that I rooted for Loren and recognized his plight in wondering if he could really stomach what a revolution and rebellion entailed (like... poor human, you have a soul! /genuine, it's hard when others only know how to use the violence that was once used against them). Loren's struggle felt sadly authentic and relatable, to any wide-eyed activist or accomplice who wants to make things better, but doesn't know how to get there. Who contends with the fact that maybe you do have to do some unsavory things to get there. It's heartbreaking to come to terms with, as you ideally want a better world for everyone.
Anyway, I'm devastated and need a fluffy romcom now. Bye!
This book is told from the point of view of Loren, an important member of the rebellion, which I felt was a promising start to this book. Ummmm, wow. This book was again graphic, brutal, unrelenting, and devastating. If you are going to read this series, manage your expectations because woof.
I really should not have thought this duology would have a happy ending though. I get that this is a commentary on leadership, how oppressive structures are so deeply intertwined and instilled in us, and how much harder it is to win a revolution and lead a rebellion than it is to just "fall in line and take it". However, it was not a feel-good or hopeful series. Sheesh. (I don't need happily ever afters in every book, I was just thoroughly surprised with this one, that's all!)
Anyway, I won't spoil too much, but I will say that I rooted for Loren and recognized his plight in wondering if he could really stomach what a revolution and rebellion entailed (like... poor human, you have a soul! /genuine, it's hard when others only know how to use the violence that was once used against them). Loren's struggle felt sadly authentic and relatable, to any wide-eyed activist or accomplice who wants to make things better, but doesn't know how to get there. Who contends with the fact that maybe you do have to do some unsavory things to get there. It's heartbreaking to come to terms with, as you ideally want a better world for everyone.
Anyway, I'm devastated and need a fluffy romcom now. Bye!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Pedophilia, and Suicide
Minor: Confinement, Sexual assault, and Torture
the_wendybirb's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Slavery
Moderate: Pedophilia
hendrixpants's review
adventurous
dark
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Slavery, and War
Moderate: Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship
ehmannky's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This series is such an intense and hard read. This one in particular because Callender makes it fairly clear early on that this revolution is doomed to fail, that all of the enslaved people who rose up (and a fair number who did not) are going to die, and that the entrenched power structure is going to continue and only be slightly less stable. I think that can make it seem like, well what was the point of this book? What was the point of the death and the revolution and the fighting? I liked that Loren, Malthe, Sigourney, and even Marieke are all fundamentally unsuited for the revolution's success because they are, at their heart, unable to let go of their own ego and subsume themselves for the greater good of the islands. They are too selfish, too caught up in their own desires of superiority and desire to mark themselves as different and better to lead successfully. I think that the emphasis on fighting for your freedom and the freedom of those who don't even exist yet is valuable and good, no matter the results. That a failed revolution today is the seeds of a successful one tomorrow. That even if it wasn't perfect yet, it still can be. And that maybe the next group of people who fight are going to be the ones who get it right.
At the end of the day, these are books that are more about the deep effects of slavery on the enslaved than the revolution itself. How it twists people's minds into accepting themselves as lesser, pits those who should be allies against one another, and how the worst of the physical scars carve themselves into people's minds. We spend so much time in people's heads and getting exposition because that's where the marks of slavery and trauma are invisible, but they profoundly shape a person. A remarkable book.
At the end of the day, these are books that are more about the deep effects of slavery on the enslaved than the revolution itself. How it twists people's minds into accepting themselves as lesser, pits those who should be allies against one another, and how the worst of the physical scars carve themselves into people's minds. We spend so much time in people's heads and getting exposition because that's where the marks of slavery and trauma are invisible, but they profoundly shape a person. A remarkable book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Colonisation
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
Minor: Vomit