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lunep'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: Animal death, Child abuse, Violence, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Slavery, Blood, Grief, Genocide, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Murder, Police brutality, Torture, Confinement, Sexual harassment, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and War
Moderate: Child death, Infidelity, Colonisation, and Classism
Minor: Sexual content and Alcohol
Another TW: Colorismtinnuben'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
4.75
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Blood, Grief, Child death, Death of parent, and Torture
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Animal death
liz_liz's review against another edition
Graphic: Slavery, Racism, and Colonisation
Moderate: Child abuse and War
Minor: Sexual content and Animal death
sarah984's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Then I hit the halfway point and the plot ground to a halt to do this extremely generic reylo-style romance (complete with force bond and nonsensical insta love) and then just one stupid thing after another happened and all of the goodwill the first half had generated burned off immediately. There is an extremely graphic torture scene involving one of the female characters that is told through the lens of how the most boring male character in existence feels about it.
I also don't like books where the oppressed people are shown to be extremely dangerous, especially when the author is clearly linking their plight to real-world oppression, and this got worse in the second half.
I liked the plot twist at the end (though it was really unclear why that happened) but not enough to save the reading experience for me.
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Death of parent, Genocide, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Torture, Slavery, Police brutality, Physical abuse, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, and Self harm
Minor: Infidelity, Vomit, Trafficking, and Sexual content
internalnonsense'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? Yes
4.75
.25 off for a character who would have benefited from having a POV, because, as is, he's flat, more there for conflict than character. Also, a section in the middle of the book, while having some significantly cool scenes, felt far too disconnected from the rest, almost filler-like.
Graphic: Child death, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, and Genocide
Moderate: Sexism, Sexual violence, and Sexual content
Minor: Alcohol, Cursing, and Fatphobia
battybookworm'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
4.5
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Child abuse, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Hate crime, Murder, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Animal death, Toxic relationship, Slavery, Sexual content, and Self harm
paper_queen'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? It's complicated
4.5
All of the characters were SO WELL DONE. I was sympathizing with every single one of them, and they each had such unique backstories and upbringings. It was fascinating seeing them all together, all the different personalities quarreling, working together, having fun. Zelie was a WONDERFUL main character. I loved her spunky, impulsive face she put up, and she has some amazing lines of dialogue. Tzain is a precious little thing, and HIM AND AMARI ARE SO ADORABLE I'M SQUEALING. Inan...well, I have some mixed feelings about him, so...not quite sure what to make of him yet.
The setting was clearly well thought out, which I REALLY appreciated. I loved the lush tribal culture. You could tell that so much time and effort had been put into making this a truly memorable setting. The magic, as well, was really nicely done. Beautifully written and epic to see, it was one of my favorite parts of the entire book.
I also really loved the constantly changing perspectives. One moment, I'm rooting for Zelie, for her to step into her place as the chosen one, and save her people by bringing back magic. But then the very next chapter, I see things from Inan's perspective and my heart just ACHES for him.
THE CLIMAX WAS TERRIFYING. But also amazing and satisfying and WHAT THE HECK IS HAPPENING and makes me desperately need the second book.
I would recommend this book to evvverybody who loves fantasy. You won't want to miss this one. I will say, there were a few things content-wise that I could've done without (some sexual scenes, some language), which bumps down half a star from me. It didn't detract from the story, but I would've preferred it hadn't been in there.
Overall, this was a fabulous book, a really, really great fantasy book, probably one of the best I've read in a while, and I think you should definitely give it a try!
Moderate: Cursing and Sexual content
ginameix'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: Blood, Child death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Hate crime, Medical trauma, Racial slurs, and Racism
Moderate: Torture and Slavery
Minor: Sexual content and Kidnapping
mahtzahgay'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
2.25
Moderate: Death, Violence, and Xenophobia
Minor: Murder, Death of parent, Sexual content, and Torture
dandelioness's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Genocide, Grief, Murder, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Torture, and Violence
Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual content