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kirstenf's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Hate crime, Gun violence, Child death, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Murder, Genocide, Fire/Fire injury, and Death
Moderate: Colonisation, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Death of parent, War, and Cultural appropriation
Minor: Terminal illness, Sexual violence, Kidnapping, Confinement, Rape, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, and Chronic illness
erebus53'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Raised as a child with Orisha blood, Sloane has been suppressed all her life. She has the power to make flames with her body and when it first got loose she caused a village fire that killed people, and that was very hard on her as she was only 4. She has been raised personally oppressed, and also culturally has been on a cusp, with her mother both attempting to hide who she is to avoid the colonists' genocide of their people, and also to raise her with pride and self-worth. This should have had me hooked as it is a very real and relatable struggle.
With my personal Neurodiversity perspective, I couldn't help but feel that the medicine that Sloane takes to suppress her àṣẹ (ashe) feels a bit like an analogy for Ritalin/Adderall, especially the way that she describes how it makes the background noise in her head go away. One of my dear friends has described her first experiences of having A.D.D. medicated in almost the exact same terms. My personal opinion on this (at this stage in my understandings of neurological difference) is that people who have difficulty regulating their own power, or mind, in ways that interfere with their ability to function can gain much from having the access to <b>many different tools</B> for externally regulating the problematic influences of their difference. Sloane learns to let her powers loose in ways that she wants to use them rather than just continually trying to repress her urges, along with other methods of tamping herself down with medication and ritual.
I was a little frustrated by the way that the main characters seemed to miss what was going on a lot of the time - there was a lot of misdirection caused by the main players jumping to conclusions. As a reader I could see where the plot was angling, which probably added to my frustration because it took AAAges for the characters to cotton on. The way that love was dealt with was a little stifled by the brutal indignities of the military regimen. Tropes abound, as the children drafted into war are trained in HungerGames-esque Kill or Be Killed style. How many times do you need to traumatise a person to get them to comply with brainwashing? And does it even work? I remain unconvinced.
As a self-confessed sucker for prophesy, I did enjoy the seer glimpses into the future provided by the Orisha early in the story. Only one part of the prophecy was really clear, but a couple of clues that were in it left me unshocked by revelations at the end of the book. There were some fun twists that I didn't really see coming, but I think due to the obvious mortality of the characters introduced and killed off earlier in the story, I had perhaps not invested enough in any of them to feel like it was really resonant? Perhaps that was the main problem for me. When the going is really hard, I just switch off and refuse to empathise with the characters, because they might be dead in a minute.
Graphic: Violence, Death of parent, Colonisation, Grief, Blood, Cultural appropriation, Death, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Xenophobia, Physical abuse, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Murder, War, Racism, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Classism
aklovekorn'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? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Death, Physical abuse, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Child abuse, Blood, Classism, Toxic friendship, Racism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Gun violence, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Murder, and War
shadesofdivine's review
- 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
5.0
Graphic: War, Torture, Sexual violence, Self harm, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Child death, Murder, Colonisation, Genocide, Blood, Gun violence, and Sexual assault
remaininlullaby's review
Graphic: Violence, Colonisation, War, and Torture
Moderate: Rape, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Gun violence, Racism, Self harm, and Slavery
Minor: Vomit
bookishmikay'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Blood, Death, Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, and Classism
Moderate: Grief, Gun violence, Murder, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Torture
daja's review
Graphic: Grief, Blood, Child abuse, Gun violence, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Sexual violence, Child death, Gore, Murder, Bullying, Colonisation, and Death
kiwi_00's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Grief, Hate crime, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Cursing, Death of parent, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Colonisation, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Gore, Slavery, and War
dingakaa's review
- 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
4.5
- It is unclear whether the scars/blisters on Sloane's body are visible or not. She references them frequently but often intimates they're "below the surface." Other times it seems like a literal description of the damage her asé does to her skin. However, if the latter is the case, how do the Lucis not see it and question why this new recruit has new blisters and scars popping up at random times?
- If Celeste was gifted with divination, and Theodus gained that ability from her, why is Sloane now gifted with fire? We got some historical perspectives on Scions and Yorubas early in the book and this should have been included in that. I seem to remember it being a hereditary which would make Sloane's powers unexplained.
- I would have liked more context building with respect to the magic in this story. It's hard to tell exactly how powerful Sloane is and where that power is located within the spectrum of power in this world. When stories want this to be a mystery, it is more clear from the narration. At times, it seems like we shouldn't know how powerful Sloane is and that in itself might become a plot point. At other points, it feels almost assumed thatt she's extremely powerful.
- There was a lot of double-crossing that drove the plot forward in the last 100 pages. That was fun, but I don't quite understand the context within which it happened. The last 50 pages spends a lot of time explaining Sloane's family tree and how we got to this point in the story, but it's unclear what Theodus' motivations are and how the Blades fit into it all. I'm still not sure if the rest of the Blades knew Theodus' plan or not.
- I don't really buy that one month is enough to turn a teenager into a killing machine. Whether physically or with training/talent, it just feels like it's not enough.
- The use of the collar to suppress asé is very interesting. I wonder if Falaye was inspired by the A'dam in Wheel of Time.
- I'm excited for Falaye to build this world and expand the story. If this will become a trilogy, or something more, we're going to need maps. Geography and geopolitical struggle is a huge aspect of this world and being able to visualize the relative locations of major players is important.
Graphic: Genocide, Fire/Fire injury, Racism, Violence, and Gun violence
The violence in this story is stark and frequent, but it enhances the story instead of detracts from it. Readers should be warned that it includes gun violence, hand-to-hand violence, murder, and gore. There is also ample discussion of fire and killing with fire.fictionaladventures's review
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Murder, Physical abuse, Torture, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Child abuse, War, Blood, Child death, Death, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Sexual assault