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micksland's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
While I'm a huge fan of the author's "Murderbot" series, I thought this fantasy novel was somewhat lackluster.
The story alternates between two timelines, only one of which had an interesting plot. The present-day story involves a missing person and a tepid whodunnit mystery, while the flashback scenes (which take up about 50% of the novel) involve a daring escape and several excellent battle scenes. I kept wishing that the present-day scenes would end and send me back to the exciting part of the story.
The magic system is complex but under-explored. It seems that there are many different kinds of magic with their own limitations and uses, but none of the rules are fleshed out sufficiently for the magic to be used except as a deus ex machina.
I appreciated the exciting battle scenes and the potential for expansion in future installments, but this felt more like a debut novel than something by an experienced author.
Graphic: Confinement and Murder
Moderate: Genocide
hanz'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? No
5.0
I was captivated by this start to finish and was thinking about it when I wasn't reading it. It almost felt like another installment in a beloved series, despite never having read about these characters before.
Graphic: Confinement, Genocide, Self harm, Kidnapping, Murder, Colonisation, and War
julesadventurezone'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
4.25
My favourite relationship was
Kai and Ziede I didn't really care for until late in the book, when
Ziede is very cool but I feel like for a main character she was a little underdeveloped.
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Genocide, Violence, Grief, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death
stephaniemcuervo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Genocide, Violence, Blood, Murder, and War
Moderate: Gore, Kidnapping, Grief, and Death of parent
briely's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Death, Slavery, Violence, Blood, and War
Moderate: Genocide
Minor: Body horror and Confinement
softanimal's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Genocide, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
msawyer77'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
Minor: Confinement, Death, Genocide, Self harm, Violence, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
scrubsandbooks'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
4.5
This book felt more like an introduction to this world and to the political turmoil that is likely to play a huge role in the main character's future. While I don't see an indication on storygraph that it would be part of a series, the ending does set up a sort of an opening for a sequel and I am hoping it is because while a lot happens, it is still set up to read like a beginning of something bigger than what was in this book.
It is a pretty heavy info-packed book and it might take some tries to get into but when I stuck to it, I found the characters to be a whole mood ("I don't need rest, I'm fueled by spite"). Kai is straight up Le Tired, and Ziede wants to find her wife -- a relationship, by the way, that you get to see blossom in almost a mini arc between the two weaving timelines. The one is definitely worth a reread and I see it approaching the same level of "epic fantasy" as a lot of great ones published in the past.
Graphic: Violence, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement and Genocide
Minor: Slavery
scifi_rat's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
Prose: 4★
Pace: 3.75★
Concept/Execution: 4★/5★
Characters: 4.5★
Worldbuilding: 4★
Ending: 4.25★
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Physical abuse, Torture, Kidnapping, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Colonisation
Minor: Animal death, Vomit, and Abandonment
persephonefoxx'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
4.25
Graphic: Death and War
Moderate: Confinement