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that_awkwardpart'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
This book is about a young girl, that has been in prison for the last 10 years. She is the prison healer, but keeps mostly to herself and stays out of trouble.
A must read. In my opinion.
Graphic: Bullying, Murder, Slavery, Self harm, Death of parent, Grief, Gore, Mass/school shootings, Medical content, Child abuse, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Rape, Physical abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Medical trauma, Torture, Blood, Sexual assault, and Death
Moderate: Bullying, Murder, Medical content, Police brutality, Self harm, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Drug use, Sexual harassment, Torture, Violence, War, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Addiction, Death, Sexual violence, Blood, Medical trauma, Rape, and Sexual assault
prashiie'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? It's complicated
5.0
This might be my favourite read so far this year! The twists, especially those at the end of the book, are amazing. Serious vibes of Hunger Games and Avatar: the last airbender. It is a dark fantasy and whilst some parts were challenging to read and weighed heavily on my mind, there were also other parts that brought a sense of hope.
But please be sure to review the trigger warnings before diving into this book. This might not be suitable for everyone.
Okay, now let’s get to the plot. The story is set in Zalindov, a prison where nobody ever leaves once they’ve entered. The grimm conditions of this prison and the injustice is mind boggling. As if being condemned to die in this prison isn't horrible enough, there are also guards who don’t shy away from violence and use and misuse the prisoners to their liking.
Our main character, Kiva, is the prison healer and has been in Zalindov for 10 years. Her prison job forces her to brand the new prisoners which goes directly against being a healer. But hey, sometimes you’ve got to do things to survive, can't really judge here. Kiva wants to fight for herself, let loose the rebellious fire in her, but she is also smart enough to know how to survive in this prison. She is secretly in communication with her family on the outside and hopes that they will make true of their promise to come for her.
But with the Rebel Queen’s arrival to Zalindov, sick and in no condition to carry out her sentence, Kiva volunteers to take the Rebel Queen’s place and claim the sentence as her own. What in the Hunger Games…!
"My name is Kiva Meridan, and I claim her sentence as my own."
If Kiva manages to survive the Trials of the four elements (air, fire, water, and earth), see and the Rebel Queen are both free to leave the prison! Freedom is waiting.
I really liked to read more about Kiva’s scientific side and the dynamic between her and the other prisoners. She warms up to Naari and Jaren, both of them being new to the prison. She cares a lot about Tipp, I mean it’s impossible to not love this character!!
“The world needs people like him out there in it, shining light into the dark places.”
THE TWISTS IN THIS BOOK ARE BETTER THAN I EXPECTED.
!! Spoilers incoming !!
Jaren is such a sweet person and he has proven on multiple occasions that his heart is in the right place. He’s always there for Kiva, a loyal companion. Yet, I am worried that he will have his heart broken in the next book. I dread to see another version of Cal Calore and Mare Barrow (Red Queen). At least in their case they both knew they were both on opposite sides!
I actually think (and hope) that Kiva wants to be the rebel princess but having to betray Jaren will contradict her feelings for him. While I don’t believe she’s deliberately using Jaren, I guess she will be torn between her destiny and her affection for him. AAAARGH… the politics in this book, secretly brewing in the background and ready to wreak havoc, adds an interesting layer to this story.
Either way, she better not hurt him!
I had a lot of questions and doubts whilst reading this book and for sure I won’t be the only one! Just trust me when I say that the story will make sense in the end.
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Blood, Bullying, Murder, Physical abuse, Violence, Drug abuse, Sexual harassment, Torture, Death of parent, Confinement, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic, Death, Fire/Fire injury, and Grief
Moderate: Rape and Addiction
Minor: Self harm and War
lotte5322's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Death of parent, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Confinement, Death, Medical content, Murder, Torture, and Bullying
molly_love'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
4.75
Moderate: Physical abuse
Minor: Blood, Gore, Self harm, Murder, Torture, Violence, Bullying, and Drug use
laurenevlyn'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? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Medical content, Violence, Medical trauma, Confinement, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Drug use, Gore, Sexual violence, Mental illness, Sexual harassment, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Self harm, Blood, Child death, Murder, Sexual assault, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Death of parent, and Drug abuse
Minor: Addiction, Drug use, and Animal death
sankta_aleena's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Moderate: Grief, Murder, Self harm, Death of parent, Torture, Suicide attempt, Drug abuse, Sexual assault, Bullying, Drug use, Addiction, Blood, Violence, Child death, Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, and Sexism
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Pregnancy
kerropiz'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? No
3.5
Graphic: Bullying, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Physical abuse
Minor: Self harm
tkatt20's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Im kind of lost on what I feel about this book. It was good, but I tend to be a detective when reading, so I was searching for every plot twist and I solved 90% of this book within the first 50 or so pages. That didn't ruin my enjoyment of the book, it just made it seem very slow paced for me when I usually like quicker fantasy novels. The premise and the storyline was very interesting, I lost a little on the world building, but considering the entire book is set in a prison that the MC arrived at when she was 7, it kind of makes sense. The characters were interesting enough to hold my attention, and for being only 17, the MC was very mature and resourceful. I would have loved to see more of the side characters and some of the little details of the Prison more fleshed out but it was alright. Everything was mostly saved by the ending in my opinion.
If you're the type of person who doesn't search for plot twists and just wants a fun and quick read then this would be perfect for you. This checks off all the boxes of a basic YA fantasy and it was definitely worth the time. The ending was amazing and I hope the next one does more in terms of world building.
Graphic: Blood, Death, Death of parent, Murder, Torture, Violence, Sexual assault, Slavery, Mental illness, and Rape
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Confinement, Suicide attempt, Self harm, Medical content, Physical abuse, Vomit, Chronic illness, and Addiction
Minor: Sexism, Miscarriage, Child abuse, Bullying, and Child death
cursedcheez's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
- amazing twist (IT MAKES SO MUCH SENSE!!!)
- very very descriptive, sometimes sounding a bit pretentious/fake deep
Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, Violence, Torture, Slavery, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, and Rape
Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, Drug abuse, Suicide attempt, and Self harm
maregred'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
4.0
Moderate: Addiction, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Medical content, Misogyny, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Bullying, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, and Violence