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zuth6462's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Body horror and War
Moderate: Gun violence, Trafficking, Slavery, and Violence
Minor: Death, Medical content, Addiction, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism
bashsbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Drug use, Drug abuse, Ableism, Addiction, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Chronic illness, Misogyny, Confinement, War, Murder, Grief, Trafficking, Slavery, Racism, Xenophobia, Violence, Medical content, and Kidnapping
Moderate: War, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Torture, Gore, Body horror, and Sexual violence
Minor: Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, and Sexual harassment
-Many references to one character's history of forced prostitution when she was a young teenfive_rats_in_a_trenchcoat'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Drug use, Blood, Death, Murder, Body horror, Child death, Kidnapping, and Gun violence
Moderate: Addiction, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Self harm, Medical content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, and Trafficking
chris_reads'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
4.5
Something that impressed me was how deftly it broached some pretty mature themes without getting depressing. Also the complexity of the characters, which is Bardugo's biggest improvement from her previous titles imo.
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Drug use, Genocide, Religious bigotry, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Addiction, Gun violence, and Trafficking
Moderate: Medical content, Blood, Body shaming, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Xenophobia
Minor: Acephobia/Arophobia, Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, Gore, Sexual violence, and Child abuse
alaina_grace'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
5.0
Graphic: Drug use, Blood, Murder, Death, Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Slavery, Alcohol, Medical content, Mental illness, Death of parent, Gore, Vomit, and Trafficking
onefineelephant'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
5.0
I only have two critiques: I wish all the characters were just a few years older. To me, especially the romances would be more compelling but the characters would also be more developed. Also, I think that the beginning of the book was a bit muddled and seemed to have too much all at once for introducing a new setting/social scene. Even though I read Shadow and Bone, I was still confused and disoriented about introducing how everything works in Ketterdam, especially since the characters are already established there instead of learning along with the reader.
Graphic: Addiction, Abandonment, Trafficking, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Slavery, Death, Grief, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Body horror, Drug abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Child death, Drug use, Hate crime, Alcohol, Blood, and Confinement
Moderate: Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Rape, and Sexism
mxbluet18'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? No
5.0
alcohol consumption and recreational drug use; drugging without consent; forced and coerced drug dependency. As well as implied panic attacks and nightmares; implied coerced suicide; blood and gore depiction, graphic physical injuries, emesis, medical experimentation, dead bodies, plague, body modifications (with consent).
Grief depiction and death of a father, brother, family and friend; murder, attempted murder, physical assault, knife and gun violence, torture, strangulation, explosions. Kidnapping, drowning.
☆
☆
Realistically I picked this up three days ago and finished it in the early hours. Once I started it I didn't really put it down. It's a duology that's been sitting on my TBR list for a while, as was the Shadow and Bone series, and it took a while for me to get to them, which is something I regret. My friend recommended them to me a while ago, and I understand why they did now. I even sent them a message while I was reading saying that I understand the pull of Kaz Brekker now.
~
One thing that really stood out to me was the amount of representation in this. Both in terms of sexuality and disability and neurodivergency. There's a bisexual character and a gay character.
And Kaz walks with a cane because of a severe limp and chronic pain, as well as the leather gloves he always wears, which is somewhat discussed as being because of trauma and a resulting aversion to touch, he the flashbacks and fainting he experiences are potentially the result of PTSD from childhood trauma. And while it's not actually confirmed in the books, the descriptions make it fairly plain that Jesper probably has ADHD. He also has a gambling addiction.
~
Two other things I feel the book does really well, and I feel are written very well is flesh out the characters, give them a really rich backstory, but make their motives subtle but clear. Like for Kaz, he clearly has a reason for persuing Pekka Rollins, and his childhood was explained in segments. But it's left to the reader to connect those dots because nothing is explicitly stated.
Graphic: Gore, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Blood, Body horror, Chronic illness, Death, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Drug use, Medical content, Trafficking, and Gun violence
Minor: Bullying and Ableism
l_e_lavalle'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? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Murder and Mental illness
Minor: Injury/Injury detail and Medical content
anton13'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? No
5.0
Also: one of the best quotes ever: “Jer molle pe oonet. Enel mörd je nej afva trohem verretn” which means: “I have been made to protect you. Only in death will I be kept from this oath” in Fjerdan. It’s beautiful imo
Graphic: Grief, Murder, Death, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Gun violence
Moderate: Medical content, Child death, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Child abuse, Addiction, and Trafficking
Minor: Classism, Alcohol, Drug use, and Torture
lindasoderlundd'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
5.0
Graphic: Rape, Animal death, Death, and Trafficking
Moderate: Drug use, Misogyny, and Medical content