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winryrose'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? Yes
4.5
This is the story of a culture full of war and class separation where, every year, 8 girls as young as 16 are chosen to be concubines to the demon king. There is passion, forbidden love, loss, death, chaos and even a little happiness mixed in. Follow Lei on her journey to become the warrior she truly is.
Graphic: Physical abuse
Moderate: Torture, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Minor: Sexual content
corgi1221'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? No
5.0
Graphic: Sexual content, Animal death, and Death
lottie1803'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Classism, Death, Murder, Sexism, Sexual content, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Violence, Misogyny, Grief, Sexual harassment, War, Homophobia, Rape, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Trafficking, Biphobia, Gaslighting, and Lesbophobia
jvalentine1386'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: Slavery, Xenophobia, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Bullying, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, War, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Torture
Moderate: Sexual content, Classism, Sexual violence, Torture, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, Rape, Alcohol, Pedophilia, and Gaslighting
Minor: Cursing, Lesbophobia, and Homophobia
izzyproudfoot'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? No
2.0
Graphic: Sexual assault, Child abuse, War, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
riverofstyx'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? No
4.75
Moderate: Sexual content and Sexual assault
payneamorgan'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? Yes
Graphic: Body horror, Classism, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Slavery, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Injury/Injury detail, and Trafficking
jj_tj's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Rape, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault
Moderate: War, Blood, Violence, and Murder
hollandjacobs'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? No
With that out of the way, I really enjoyed this book. It’s a poor girl being forced into a royal court but never loving it. So many books have girls quickly swooning over dresses and pastries. Not Lei. The world is really interesting, the characters complex, the stakes high - it’s a pretty intense book. It didn’t have a super strong chosen one troupe, really just a girl fighting for her own autonomy. Abuse is rampant, but never fetishized. Really I just feel like the author held the balance of all these complex issues really well, it was well written, and I’m definitely looking forward to the rest of the series!
Moderate: Sexual assault, Homophobia, and Sexual content
talonsontypewriters's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Graphic: Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Animal death, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Confinement, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Slavery, Classism, Emotional abuse, Murder, Violence, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Sexism, and Misogyny
Moderate: Outing, Medical content, Sexual content, Grief, War, Death of parent, Bullying, Colonisation, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Vomit