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foreverinastory'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
This was amazing!! Also so bloody and violent, lived for it all.
Rep: African cishet female MC, BIPOC cishet male side character, BIPOC female side character, MLM side pairing.
CWs: Violence, murder, death, racism, mentions of eugenics, torture, non-consensual medical experimentation, cannibalism, blood, gore, gun violence, injury/injury detail, fire, medical trauma. Moderate: sexism, misogyny, slavery, trafficking, mentions of sex work. Minor: suicide attempt, xenophobia, sexual harassment.
Graphic: Blood, Gun violence, Racism, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Cannibalism, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Sexism, Misogyny, Slavery, and Trafficking
Minor: Sexual harassment, Suicide attempt, and Xenophobia
clairophy's review
- 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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Cannibalism, Violence, Torture, Racism, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Blood
starlessnights's review
2.0
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Child death, Colonisation, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Kidnapping
Minor: War, Xenophobia, Trafficking, and Suicide attempt
redthistle's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Racism, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Trafficking, Torture, Sexism, Murder, Gun violence, Gore, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Child death, Child abuse, and Slavery
2treads'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? No
3.0
Raughley writes an intriguing story with interesting and shady characters, skilfully written hints; devilishly engaging, selfish, and greedy players add a layer of mystery that keeps the reader immersed.
The supernatural elements that drive the plot are interesting and unique, the betrayals, bonds of friendship, and the familial drive that spurs our characters are relatable. The enigma surrounding our main character and the mysterious power that she holds kept me turning pages.
She is deliberate in writing an industrialized London, with the poor working conditions as well the colourful tapestry of peoples that made up the population. I especially like that she depicted how sometimes racialised individuals can absorb and use the racist terms that white colonialists ascribed to other racialised groups.
My biggest turnoff was the love rectangle/reverse harem relationship. I was not feeling it al all. It was unnecessary and added nothing to elevate the story. All it did was annoy me.
But that ending does have me intrigued.
Moderate: Racism, Torture, and Death
jenny_librarian's review
4 days in of 3+ hours reading and I'm still not halfway through despite everything going on. Hell, the "tournament" hasn't even started yet.
It's a good idea, but there's just way too many characters and way too much worldbuilding that doesn't ultimately give us anything. It's all so complicated that you get lost in between what is historical and what's fantasy. And it just keeps building up. Every time you think you'll get an answer, it's just more questions popping up that left me unsatisfied as a reader. I wanted to keep going, but after reading other reviews it doesn't seem to get any better and I have too many books to read to spend another 4-5 days on this one.
This is prime example of why the first book in a series should NOT be 500+ pages...
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Racism, Racial slurs, Colonisation, Murder, Sexism, Torture, and Trafficking
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Medical trauma, Sexual harassment, and Slavery
utopiastateofmind's review
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
The Bones of Ruin is a story that feels almost like a wriggling fish. I thought I had a grip on what the story was, and at every turn Raughly kept surprising me. At first I thought African Tightrope dancer, then an, "OMG this gives me Old Guard vibes", and then, "wait is this like a doomsday cult??" So yeah, emotionally tossed around, BUT it delivers terrifying magical powers, competitions to the death, and secrets all around. Talk about a book where I need the sequel ASAP.
I barely have any notes for The Bones of Ruin because the whole time I was reading, I was just so stunned. Suffice it to say, The Bones of Ruin is full of action that will captivate you with its danger and simmering shadows. At the same time, I was intrigued by Iris, by her motivations and her character journey. Because while you may not sometimes agree with what you know about Iris, you can understand that nagging, that necessity to know the truth. To figure out where we are from.
Moderate: Torture