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jalexpulliamkepler's review
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Classism, Gun violence, Infidelity, Blood, Religious bigotry, Xenophobia, Colonisation, Violence, and War
Moderate: Alcohol
iftheshoef1tz's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I appreciated Altagracia being an unreliable narrator, especially when it’s revealed that
The pacing overall was confused. The middle section should’ve been a lot shorter and the last 100 pages should’ve been expanded (where was all the fighting?? I didn’t want to read a reflection on the war, I wanted to READ the war!). I also frequently felt that the characters were telling each other and themselves how clever they were, and most of the time their wants and desires were opaque, so I couldn’t tell if they were being clever after all.
Tropes:
Unreliable narrator
Queers in outer space
Politics ™️
Cleopatra retelling
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Violence, Blood, and War
Moderate: Sexual content and Colonisation
hailstorm3812'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
4.0
Graphic: War, Violence, and Colonisation
Moderate: Confinement, Death of parent, Xenophobia, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Abandonment
aileron's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Death, Xenophobia, and War
Moderate: Colonisation, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Genocide, Suicide, Slavery, Grief, and Confinement
booksthatburn's review against another edition
Minor: Colonisation and War
netthauser's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Death and War
Minor: Alcohol and Body horror
anxiousnachos's review
3.5
I thought the best character relationships were seen at the start and end of the book, Gracia’s relationship with her sister, Ana and Alekso. I love a complex god-mortal relationship and these discussions between Alekso and Gracia, and her journey with faith, I thought were particularly interesting. The scenes with these characters were the ones I felt really charged the book, but they were also the ones that we had much less of, with the book focusing on the relationship between Ceirran and Gracia. It does mean I’m excited for the sequel. But now I’m worried this is going to derail my entire month worrying about why I didn’t enjoy this as much as I thought I would and whether I’m going into a slump or whether my mental health is about to take a dive, as this is what usually precludes that… Anyway, I’m glad so many other people loved this!! I wish I had loved it as much as you!
Content warnings: war, violence, gun violence, imprisonment/confinement, death of parent (past, discussions of), sex
Graphic: Gun violence, War, Violence, and Confinement
Moderate: Death of parent and Sexual content
grapie_deltaco's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The writing is rich and detailed with incredibly tangible and in-depth lore exploring the various histories and religious beliefs of these futuristic kingdoms. I mean seriously??? A DEAD GAY GOD WHO UPLOADED HIS CONSCIOUSNESS/SOUL ONTO A COMPUTER TO COMMUNE WITH FUTURE ORACLES??
A power struggle for the throne. An unreliable narrator who breaks the fourth wall multiple times to inform us that she’s lied about previous key details in the story. A sensual and tension-filled romantic subplot (or two😌).
Beyond the author overusing the word “ought” and some odd (but not particular bad) pacing choices, I think the writing of this book is brilliant and positively beautiful.
Oh. My. Wow.
CW: death (including death of loved ones), grief, murder, violence, war, political corruption, sexual content
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: War, Sexual content, and Grief
starrysteph's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Grief, Child death, Death of parent, Colonisation, Murder, War, Death, Violence, Confinement, Gun violence, and Classism
mugs_it_is's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Death of parent and Colonisation
Moderate: Murder and War
Minor: Xenophobia