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trintrin'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
Characters: The main six characters are the reason this story flourishes the way it did. I love every single one of the crows and I would die for them despite them being a bunch of conniving criminals and thieves and thugs. The character dynamics and backstories were also done so well. The banters and one-liners are worth dying for. I was slightly worried about the romances at first, but they were all so adorably paired and very much shippable. My only teeny tiny issue was that the characters seemed wayyy too mature and self-aware for their ages- like you can't tell me Kaz isn't in his early 20s at least. But since its a YA fantasy novel, I didn't mind it too much.
Plot: It does have quite a slow beginning. It takes around 50 pages to introduce the world and some of the main characters, and then set up for an impossible heist, and another ~100 for Kaz to gather his crew, learn a little bit of their backgrounds, and come up with a plan for said impossible heist. But once the story picks up, it picks up. From then on, the fast-paced plot really gets you hooked and it's impossible to keep the book down. One slight issue was how their mess ups and failures doesn't really seem to have that big of a consequence, but I loved the plot anyway so it didn't matter. It does have a cliff-hanger ending but that's all the more reason to pick up the next book :D
World-building: The world-building would take just a little bit more effort to understand if you haven't read the preceding series, but it's totally not a problem and you should get along fine about a 100 pages in. I really loved the whole Grisha-Drüskelle thing. Somehow the Barrel - and the entirety of Ketterdam - feels like a real place; while Fjerda, Kerch, Ravka, and the nations, in general, feel whimsical. My only pet-peeve was how some of the spellings seemed like they were intentionally made complicated (like why medik when it could've been just medic?? ;-;) but then again it's fantasy so I let it slide.[Update: I learned Kerch is supposed to be Dutch so nvm]
TL;DR: Loveable characters, gripping plot, intriguing world, good writing - all the fun stuff.
Graphic: Gore, Gun violence, Murder, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Trafficking, Addiction, Kidnapping, Slavery, and Torture
Minor: Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Misogyny
purplepenning's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Violence, and Addiction
Moderate: Child abuse, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Blood, Murder, Torture, Xenophobia, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Drug use, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Classism, Confinement, Child death, Vomit, Panic attacks/disorders, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Sexual violence and Trafficking
lindseysquire'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: Violence, Drug abuse, Murder, Genocide, Gore, Mental illness, Child abuse, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Addiction, Panic attacks/disorders, and Cursing
Moderate: Animal death, Xenophobia, War, Child death, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, Animal cruelty, and Sexual assault
Minor: Alcohol
A lot of the content warnings occur in flashbacks to the characters’ childhoods, so most of the violence and abuse is happening to children under the age of 15. Please keep that in mind before reading it. It’s an amazing book, but it could be very triggering.perhappiness'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
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Ableism, Classism, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Violence
Moderate: Xenophobia and Racism
annaae's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Minor: Death of parent, Violence, Blood, Death, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Child death
archivofrances's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Addiction, Blood, Death, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Murder, Slavery, and Violence
Moderate: Classism, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, and Torture
littletiramisu'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: Physical abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Violence, Addiction, Blood, and Child abuse
Moderate: Sexual violence, Animal death, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Panic attacks/disorders, Animal cruelty, Rape, and Mental illness
rowanrelph'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? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Drug abuse, Grief, Kidnapping, Violence, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Trafficking, Slavery, Abandonment, and Torture
nefie'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
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Xenophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Child abuse
Moderate: Alcohol, Addiction, and Slavery
Minor: War, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
alexandrabelze'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: Gore, Grief, Murder, Trafficking, Confinement, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Body horror, Cursing, Kidnapping, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Physical abuse, Torture, and Vomit
Moderate: Addiction, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Rape, and Sexual assault
Minor: Abandonment and Alcohol