hazeyjane_2's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Kingfisher doesn't fall into this trap. She builds up the suspense by creating the fully fledged character of Alex Easton, who is an ex-soldier come to visit her childhood friend Madeline. Actual emotions, actual misconceptions, science (yay!) in the form of a female mycologist, and everything bubbling away just beneath the surface.
Spoiler
The brilliant thing about this story is its sense of realism and plausibility. Kingfisher's tidbits are just subtle enough, and Easton's reactions to them just doubtful enough, to keep you on the edge of your seat wondering if this is truly a supernatural story or if there is some mundane solution to the dilemma. I actually googled the fungus to find out if it was real, because it reminded me so much of the zombie ant fungus.Side note: It was refreshing to see a military where sex characteristics truly don't matter, so, this definitely isn't a complaint. But the sentence about "people who did not want to *be* women" rubbed me a bit the wrong way. I felt that could've been worded differently. There is nothing wrong with being a woman. Changing your clothing and pronouns does not change your sex. It may change the way people perceive you, but it does not change your actual biology (unless I missed something, and this story has some magic that allows you to become truly androgynous).
I assume that Kingfisher was trying to have her cake and eat it too: both evoke the misogyny of the late 19th century and also find a way to evade it... which I highly appreciate, don't get me wrong. I liked the way she sidestepped it.
But this is fiction. Kingfisher could easily have ignored real-world history and written an alt history in which women as a class *hadn't ever* been subject to sex-based oppression. Not even a matriarchal society, just a society where no one would have blinked at a female scientist and where women had always been soldiers without question. The anecdote about how women came to join the army felt especially on the nose. We don't always have to centre the masculine experience. Or she could've made three sexes, with no further explanation needed (male, female and ka/kan), or no sexes at all.
As it stands, in a book where men and women exist, women *are* an oppressed class and sex roles are clearly similar to those of the late 19th century in our world, I would've liked a bit more information on how Galacia's sworn (and Gallacian society in general) managed to overcome the hardwired sex binary so fast, and whether this was in the military or everywhere else as well. I realise this wasn't that story, though.
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Death
Minor: War and Vomit
nyssa_jo's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Terminal illness, Body horror, Animal death, and Death
Moderate: Alcohol and Grief
Minor: Vomit and Suicide attempt
kristinrdub'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
5.0
Graphic: Gore, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Terminal illness, and Animal death
Minor: Suicide and Vomit
nyssa_jo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Terminal illness and Death
Moderate: Animal death and Transphobia
Minor: War, Murder, Vomit, Body horror, Grief, Alcohol, and Suicide
sarah984's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Body horror and Animal death
Moderate: Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Mental illness, Gore, Alcohol, Death, Injury/injury detail, Terminal illness, and Medical content
Minor: Transphobia, Drug use, Misogyny, War, Vomit, Violence, and Suicide
jqmnew's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Terminal illness, Alcohol, Body horror, Medical content, Death, Grief, Animal death, and Murder
Minor: Vomit
boglord's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Animal death, Medical content, and Body horror
Moderate: Murder, Alcohol, and Death
Minor: Injury/injury detail, Mental illness, Misogyny, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, and Gore
schausjk's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, and Medical content
Moderate: War, Physical abuse, Blood, Gore, Gun violence, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Violence
Minor: Death of parent, Vomit, Xenophobia, and Dysphoria
butterymax's review against another edition
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Animal death and Vomit
Minor: War, Suicide, and Transphobia
With regards to the transphobia: the characters themselves don’t identify as transgender, but are from a fictional country in which multiple genders exist. The character in question is on the receiving end of some uncomfortable questions, but handles it well, and it is not a major source of conflict.vaguely_pink's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Body horror, Animal death, Death, Gore, Suicide, Grief, Injury/injury detail, Medical content, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Transphobia, War, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, and Gun violence
Minor: Sexism, Misogyny, and Vomit