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ana_maria5's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
fronk10's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Drug use, Gun violence, Violence, and Sexual harassment
serendipity421's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
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: Body horror, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Ableism and Bullying
aliyachaudhry'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
3.75
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Torture, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Minor: Ableism
slugsam'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
4.75
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Hate crime, Sexual violence, and Trafficking
rose_88's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Blood, Abortion, Murder, War, and Classism
Moderate: Addiction, Cursing, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Slavery, Torture, Kidnapping, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual content, Vomit, and Sexual harassment
storykath's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Body horror, Gore, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, and War
Minor: Misogyny, Excrement, and Alcohol
lu_debord'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: Ableism, Body horror, Chronic illness, Death, Vomit, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual assault, Slavery, and War
soph22'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: Ableism, Addiction, Body horror, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Slavery, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism