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bellebookcorner's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
“Sometimes, if you want to save other people, you need to remember to save yourself first.”
Graphic: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Self harm, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Child abuse and Blood
Minor: Suicide
baroo92's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I really liked the explanation of the MC’s traumas and how they effected her- I personally read her as autistic coded, but that may be just me. The relationship with the revenant had similar tones to the relationship with Silas in SoT- a creature both terrifyingly deadly, and begrudgingly affectionate. It’s always a nice dynamic to see a traumatized kid befriend a centuries-old eldritch being!
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Grief, and Panic attacks/disorders
chamaeleontis's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Violence, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, Panic attacks/disorders, Animal cruelty, Death, Excrement, Grief, Medical content, Self harm, Suicide attempt, War, Blood, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Gore, and Torture
r_a_bell's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The way of depicts the effects of trauma and discusses it feels very real and doesn’t smack you in the face. It feels natural to the story, not forced.
I also really liked that there wasn’t a big romance or love interest. Not every story needs to revolve around one and it actually makes it more engaging. There is a romance between side characters which is cute and endearing, and helps bring a certain lightheartedness.
This is a really great book for someone who feels like they’ve outgrown YA in some ways, but can’t seem to get into adult fiction and how detached it often feels.
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, War, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Grief, Murder, Self harm, Gore, Animal cruelty, Torture, and Eating disorder
Trigger warning for animal abuse is for the most minor of mentions, it’s something I’m extremely sensitive about, so I really mean minor. Nothing is actually described it’s just mentioned to explain the behavior of an animal (who is then treated very nicely and heals from the trauma). Eating disorder isn’t really for an eating disorder, but more for disordered eating, if that makes sense. It’s not an eating disorder that’s described, but the way a character’s eating behaviors are described could be triggering for some peoplebooksthatburn'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
5.0
I like the banter between Artemisia and the revenant. This is one place where the audiobook narrator's performance really shines, as it enhanced an already excellent story by making the revenant's voice pitch perfect for its characterization. Their conversations sometimes feel like banter while staying generally appropriate to the seriousness of each new situation. I was worried that Trouble (the bird) would be a gimmicky animal sidekick, but his appearances are brief and important. He has enough of a presence to keep his few contributions from coming out of nowhere, and his relatively few appearances keep the narrative from feeling like a comedic trio of possessed, possessor, and animal friend.
The worldbuilding is filled in gradually, starting with Artemisia’s incomplete understanding of the history of her home and the forces at play, then gradually filling in as she learns from the revenant and tries to stay alive.
The way this handles trauma, mental illness, and disability in the narrative is pretty great. It's a world where magic is real and very present, but while magic completely dispels some ailments it's not treated as a cure-all. Artemisia has burn scars on her hands which affect her daily existence. The way her hands healed affects her motor skills and ability to sense things like temperature. She still has panic attacks and various levels of mental distress when triggering events occur. There's a minor character who is deeply traumatized by an unrelated experience with possession, and even the revenant has a phobia borne of trauma. It's a world filled with undead, death, and violence, and the way that all the characters are either explicitly or implicitly traumatized accordingly helps it feel cohesive in a way I hadn't expected but very much appreciate.
The plot builds slowly, focusing more on Artemisia's efforts not to get caught once she has the revenant, then gradually she ends up in a position to do more with the information which became available to her. It has great "accidental hero (saint)" vibes with a plot that backs that up.
Graphic: Blood, Murder, Death, Violence, Self harm, and Vomit
Moderate: Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, Terminal illness, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Ableism, Excrement, Kidnapping, and Slavery
Minor: Child abuse and Suicide
flyfarther79's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Confinement, and Death
Minor: Kidnapping, Murder, Violence, Abandonment, and Panic attacks/disorders
jessicaludden's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This was an interesting read. I loved the magic system and the whole concept of spirits, nuns, and relics, but I think the world building is lacking. The world in this story feels bigger than one book to me. There were many times while reading that I found myself confused on the logistics of the world and the possibilities of the magic. There were also many times I wished for more detail and backstory. For example, I would’ve loved more time learning about the origins of the revenants and the Old Magic that is constantly referenced throughout the book. It just didn’t feel like the way things happen in this world was explained very clearly at the beginning.
I think the central issue of the story and the big bad was underwhelming. I liked the plot twist that Leander actually had no idea about Sarathiel and it was actually the Divine who was helping him, but I think Sarathiel’s overall purpose got lost in translation between the soldier spirits, him killing the Divine, and the rituals that Artemisia needed to do to save the world (at least I think that’s what she was trying to do). The stakes never felt very high to me and I think it’s due to the lack of detail I had with the world building.
I also think the side characters fell a little flat. The seeds of character complexity were there, but it felt like something was missing in their connection to Artemisia. I think their friendships could’ve been used a lot better and been more important in her story.
What I loved about this story was the dynamic between Artemisia and the revenant. They had really good banter and were both very blunt with each other. The revenant was hilarious, but I also loved seeing it’s softer side as the story progressed. I loved seeing their relationship build and the trust get developed. I especially loved the ending where Artemisia realized Rathanael had decided to sacrifice himself in order to save her and destroy Sarathiel. Their connection was the best part of this book and it’s what occurred for most of the story, which makes sense because she was literally a vessel for it. Overall, I enjoyed reading this. It could’ve been better in terms of the world building, but Artemisia and the revenant’s relationship made it enjoyable.
Favorite Quotes:
“‘You miss feeling things. You like being in a human body.’
‘That doesn’t mean I want to be in yours!’”
“‘Have you ever considered that your body carries you?’”
“‘No, and I don’t see why it matters. Humans are so tedious. Oh, you have dangly bits. Congratulations, you’re going to put on armor and swing a sword about. Oh, you’ve ended up with the other kind. Too bad—time to either have babies or become a nun.’”
“‘I’ll remind you,’ it said finally. ‘Rather than expecting you to remember on your own. When you need to eat, when you’re sick or hurt, and whether it’s serious enough to seek help. But you have to promise that you’ll listen to me.’”
“…the longing I had felt that day and many days since was homesickness. Homesickness for a place I had never been, for the answers to questions I carried in my heart but for which I had no words. I hadn’t recognized it then, because I hadn’t understood what it felt like to have a home.”
“‘I’ll have you know that I’m very good-looking by undead standards…’”
“‘You are the worst vessel I’ve ever had…’”
“If power we’re a measure of worth, Charles wouldn’t have needed me at all.”
“I glanced around at her, Charles, Jean. The people in the hall. I felt the revenant, bristling with impatience. And I realized she was mistaken—I hadn’t been alone, not for some time.”
“Perhaps this was how history treated saints. It didn’t matter what was real, what had truly happened. Even as they lived, their lives passes into legend.”
“…I found myself crouched in an alley with my heart hammering, feeling like an idiot as the revenant flitted through my body searching for injuries, finding nothing.
‘What happened?’ it demanded for the fourth or fifth time. ‘What’s wrong with you?’”
“‘I’m not going to let anyone hurt you again.’”
“I knew then that we really were going to be all right, because I had survived it before, and I would survive it again.”
“The world was radiant. My thoughts were silver fire.”
“‘I don’t want to do it, which in my experience is the surest sign that I need to.’”
“‘Stop drying,’ I told him. A faint smile touched his lips. ‘Is that all?’”
Minor: Blood, Suicide, Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment, Fire/Fire injury, Child abuse, and Eating disorder
nnniro411's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
The world felt lived in and the world building was well done. We didn’t need exposition and instead taken into the world where we picked up the mythology as the adventure unfolded. I would not mind going back into this world if Roberson ever decided to continue the story.
Graphic: Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Blood, Body horror, Murder, Bullying, War, Abandonment, Torture, and Gore
clairew97's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Bullying, Ableism, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Abandonment, Body horror, Animal death, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Panic attacks/disorders, and Violence
shrimpasta's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Abandonment, Fire/Fire injury, Self harm, Panic attacks/disorders, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal cruelty, Injury/Injury detail, and Physical abuse