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miriam_in_life'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: Death, Gore, Xenophobia, War, Violence, Racism, Racial slurs, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Murder, Misogyny, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, and Grief
Moderate: Death of parent
luckykosmos's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
There were also some mild pacing issues - thrown into the murder mystery too quickly, a romance that felt rushed, her friendship with Enoch mentioned in passing once and then becoming a major plot point. I think these elements could have been spread out better, but my main issue was the dialogue.
(To be clear - I liked this book! Which is why the dialogue frustrated me so much, because I feel like I would have loved it! It has a lot to say about the toxicity of nationalism that I really am excited to see in book 2. )
Graphic: Cannibalism, Violence, Racial slurs, and Racism
kyuuketsukiniko's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Xenophobia, War, and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Bullying, Classism, Cannibalism, Hate crime, Racism, Racial slurs, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
gabbadabbadoo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
i went into this not expecting much -- there's no shortage of protagonists trying to avenge dead family members in the fantasy genre -- but I was extremely pleasantly surprised. i personally haven't read a book that was so consistenly action-packed, there is literally never a dull moment. this book is violent and bloody and cruel and i am obsessed with it!! reading some of the characters injuries and deaths made me wince a bit, but i respect Davenport for being able to come up with so many ways for people to hurt. so, if lots of blood and violence and death are your thing look no further. the brutal nature of the trials initially struck me as a little superfluous, but it makes more sense and the country's history and culture develop more as you read.
the mc also sold this book for me. i typically don't like characters that are easily blinded by rage, but i loooooove Ikenna. there were more than several times where she'd do smt and i thought were unneccessary and would come back to bite her in the ass, but i support women's rights and women's wrongs!!! but fr i'd read and wonder if she was trying to get herself killed, but she never beat someone's ass who didn't deserve that or worse. and she'll do it again!
i also loved that the romance was extremely minor. like eensy teensy weenie minor. a bigger romantic subplot would definitely ruin a book like this, so i loved that the cehemistry was definitely there and i saw it coming, but it never took over the plot. hg has revenge to get and people to kill, she is on a mission.
Graphic: Death of parent, Racism, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Sexual content, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Cursing, Grief, and War
Minor: Torture and Alcohol
nytephoenyx's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, Racial slurs, Classism, Racism, Gun violence, Death, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Medical content, Alcohol, and Hate crime
Minor: War
krzzykitty92's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Racism and Racial slurs
Moderate: Blood
wren_rainbow's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Racism, Violence, Blood, and Grief
Moderate: War, Racial slurs, and Misogyny
Minor: Sexual content
kbairbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Cannibalism, Cursing, Gaslighting, Gore, Racism, Torture, Violence, Classism, Death of parent, Grief, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Toxic friendship, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Murder, Outing, Sexism, and War
shaipanda's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
However I will say I personally didn’t give it a 5 star because of how unlikeable pretty much every character is at various parts of the story (including Kenna occasionally lol) and I tend to prefer to at least somewhat like the characters I’m reading about
Oh also reallyyyy look at the trigger warnings fr cause this book is insanely dark and has no issues killing off characters
Graphic: Torture, Confinement, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Gore, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Medical content, Blood, Body horror, Cursing, Grief, Murder, Death, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, and Sexism
Moderate: Cannibalism, Sexual content, War, and Vomit
Minor: Toxic friendship
tahsintries's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Cannibalism, Blood, and Torture
Moderate: War, Xenophobia, Grief, Racism, Misogyny, Death, Racial slurs, Genocide, Sexism, and Death of parent