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They kind of lost me during the whole "capture the flag, but with murder" part. It just dragged on for too long in some places. Like, how can you say so much yet so little at the same time? Felt like I was just on one long side quest for most of the book.
I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series, though. Hopefully, we can get back to the main plot of the story.
Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder
Minor: Rape, Cannibalism
Graphic: Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Death of parent
Minor: Alcoholism, Alcohol
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Violence, Murder
Moderate: Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Classism
Minor: Cannibalism
The author doesn't invite you into this world, they hurl you into it, heart-first, and drag you through it so that every hardship Darrow endures feels like a bruise on your own skin, each triumph a breath you didn’t realize you were holding until you’re gasping right alongside him. Every brutal choice, every quiet heartbreak, every visceral victory, aches in the best possible way. It ripped the emotions from my chest and held them up like a mirror to the characters’ own. A tangle of grief, rage, and hope—carved into an unforgettable scar that will linger long after the final page is turned.
I’ve read similar works of dystopian fiction, but this one felt like no other. Original, fully realized, and executed seamlessly in a way that makes it hauntingly real. I laughed. I wept. I hated. I loved. This book made me feel everything I want to feel when I step out of my world and disappear into a story.
I don’t have enough words for how deeply I adored this book, only that it reminded me exactly why I fell in love with reading in the first place. Darrow O’Lykos—Reaper, Helldiver, the red risen gold, Eo’s dream made flesh—you are etched into my heart forever.
Graphic: Animal death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Violence, Blood, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Slavery, Grief, Death of parent
Minor: Animal death, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Torture, Cannibalism
Graphic: Drug use, Violence, Medical trauma, War, Classism
Moderate: Alcohol, War
Minor: Bullying, Confinement, Gore, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Murder, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Rape, Murder
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Excrement, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Minor: Rape
Graphic: Sexual assault, Murder
I don’t know if I will continue with the series due to the violence and sexual assault content that was featured in this first book. I especially didn’t care for the overall tones of forgiveness and understanding that we’re given to the more violent and dangerous characters in the book.
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Trafficking, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Alcoholism, Misogyny, Kidnapping