Scan barcode
heidi_fischer's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Trafficking, Suicide attempt, Slavery, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Sexism, Rape, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Suicide, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, and Murder
Moderate: Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Infidelity, Kidnapping, and Murder
whittiebee's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
informative
sad
tense
fast-paced
- 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
5.0
Incredible.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Rape, and Death
brianneh's review against another edition
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Rape, Emotional abuse, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Abortion, Bullying, Xenophobia, Child death, and Domestic abuse
laurak483's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- 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? Yes
3.0
Upon finishing this book, I had a lot of conflicting emotions. This book is another reminder of both how far we have come in terms of equality and the treatment of women, while simultaneously having barely progressed at all. This was not an easy read, particularly as a survivor of SA; I definitely underestimated how SA and the R word would occur and be discussed. Although it almost never actually happened on the page which I think is what made me able to keep reading it and not have to DNF the book.
It's a powerful story about the female experience, the inherent dangers of living as a woman or marginalized person in general, and how the cycle of abuse perpetuates itself. I really feel like intense acts that happened in the final chapters were set up purely to turn this from a standalone novel into the trilogy the author wanted, and I personally think that's a mistake. I think this book was so heavy so much of the time, I would personally have enjoyed it more if we got the more uplifting part of the ending we as readers were hoping for without the violent events that will clearly be the focus of the next book (trying to talk about it without spoilers).
For the first time in a long time, I think this is a series I won't be continuing. Not because it isn't well written, I enjoyed the author's writing style. Just because it is a rather hard read, and I am honestly not invested enough in seeing more of these characters for the apparent plot point the next book(s) will tackle. The biggest strength this book has, and the thing that really was apparent and stuck out to me the most, is it's also an ode to the resilience of women. Between reading this book and listening to the song "Labour" by Paris Paloma on repeat, I am overly filled with ancestral feminine rage and I definitely need a palette cleanser after this.
It's a powerful story about the female experience, the inherent dangers of living as a woman or marginalized person in general, and how the cycle of abuse perpetuates itself. I really feel like intense acts that happened in the final chapters were set up purely to turn this from a standalone novel into the trilogy the author wanted, and I personally think that's a mistake. I think this book was so heavy so much of the time, I would personally have enjoyed it more if we got the more uplifting part of the ending we as readers were hoping for without the violent events that will clearly be the focus of the next book (trying to talk about it without spoilers).
For the first time in a long time, I think this is a series I won't be continuing. Not because it isn't well written, I enjoyed the author's writing style. Just because it is a rather hard read, and I am honestly not invested enough in seeing more of these characters for the apparent plot point the next book(s) will tackle. The biggest strength this book has, and the thing that really was apparent and stuck out to me the most, is it's also an ode to the resilience of women. Between reading this book and listening to the song "Labour" by Paris Paloma on repeat, I am overly filled with ancestral feminine rage and I definitely need a palette cleanser after this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Rape, Suicide, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Pregnancy
kmami's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- 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
5.0
one of the best books i’ve read so far this year. the plot is perfectly thought out. the story was perfectly written. i really couldn’t put it down; i finished it in 24 hours. i can’t wait to read the second book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Rape, Misogyny, Trafficking, and Sexual content
Moderate: Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Murder, Abandonment, Suicide, Violence, Abortion, and Torture
golelifsu's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Sexual assault, Rape, and Sexual violence
readhaileyread's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Rape, Sexual harassment, and Slavery
tanilian's review
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- 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? No
2.75
This should’ve been a decent read. It failed.
I saw in some other review this book described as “torture porn” and yeah, completely agree. For a narrative that wanted to show the lives of women, it was way too obsessed with cocks. And yes, they are prostitutes, but did we need to rehash over and over and over again the various ways that men were only thinking with their cocks, to the exclusion of both any semblance of plot AND any and all character development? (On this note, were cock lamps so popular that they were ready made and in supply at the shop?)
Let’s mention the plot this book had. It was porn. This is the only thing that was allotted any time in the narrative. Amara deciding to make a side-hustle with loans? Mentioned maybe twice or thrice and completely behind the scenes. Amara seducing the idiot nephew of Pliny to dupe him into buying her freedom? Completely behind the scenes, let’s just roll right over to him being already seduced. The only skill I can remember we actually watched her attain (more like train a bit more) was a few new melodies.
The writing itself was really choppy. We jumped the timeline a lot for the only reason that I could perceive of “welp let’s just say she did this or that and not show a thing”. I think half of the book can be cut off and maybe then, though still doubtful, the story would be more streamlined.
Why don’t we talk about fridging? Cause in this oh so feminist novel one of our main characters gets fridged at the end. Cause Dido was absolutely killed off to further Amara. Did the way she die make sense? No, it was completely forced.
There was NO character development whatsoever. At the start the book Amara was the same as she was at the ending. There was no change. Neither did any other character have any growth.
Now, I would also like to talk about the ending as it infuriated me. Cause Amara, in her infinite wisdom, sent a child with a threatening message to her former owner whose name I can’t be bothered to remember. She sent a teenaged (barely) girl, to a man she watched abuse women and kill people to send a message. The same guy that at the beginning of the novel had a woman disfigured to get at his competitor. And Amara just sent a child to him with a threatening message))) As one wont to do. Why, for the love of gods, would you not only want him to KNOW you are gunning for his head but also send a child as a messenger? Anyone with half a brain would’ve waited till they actually established themselves as, quite literally, anything of consequences before doing such a blatant power move.
The way Amara regained her freedom was out of the blue and didn’t make sense. Oh, Pliny refused to buy her out before cause he had no use for her, but now that his nephew wanted to have her as his mistress, he graciously decided to give him money and grant Amaya his family name?
The setting of this novel was also barely there. 74 AD Pompeii? This was not. It could’ve been any other time and setting, not to mention how modern it read.
I saw in some other review this book described as “torture porn” and yeah, completely agree. For a narrative that wanted to show the lives of women, it was way too obsessed with cocks. And yes, they are prostitutes, but did we need to rehash over and over and over again the various ways that men were only thinking with their cocks, to the exclusion of both any semblance of plot AND any and all character development? (On this note, were cock lamps so popular that they were ready made and in supply at the shop?)
The writing itself was really choppy. We jumped the timeline a lot for the only reason that I could perceive of “welp let’s just say she did this or that and not show a thing”. I think half of the book can be cut off and maybe then, though still doubtful, the story would be more streamlined.
Why don’t we talk about fridging? Cause in this oh so feminist novel one of our main characters gets fridged at the end. Cause Dido was absolutely killed off to further Amara. Did the way she die make sense? No, it was completely forced.
There was NO character development whatsoever. At the start the book Amara was the same as she was at the ending. There was no change. Neither did any other character have any growth.
Now, I would also like to talk about the ending as it infuriated me. Cause Amara, in her infinite wisdom, sent a child with a threatening message to her former owner whose name I can’t be bothered to remember. She sent a teenaged (barely) girl, to a man she watched abuse women and kill people to send a message. The same guy that at the beginning of the novel had a woman disfigured to get at his competitor. And Amara just sent a child to him with a threatening message))) As one wont to do. Why, for the love of gods, would you not only want him to KNOW you are gunning for his head but also send a child as a messenger? Anyone with half a brain would’ve waited till they actually established themselves as, quite literally, anything of consequences before doing such a blatant power move.
The way Amara regained her freedom was out of the blue and didn’t make sense. Oh, Pliny refused to buy her out before cause he had no use for her, but now that his nephew wanted to have her as his mistress, he graciously decided to give him money and grant Amaya his family name?
The setting of this novel was also barely there. 74 AD Pompeii? This was not. It could’ve been any other time and setting, not to mention how modern it read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Rape
emmyh_reads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Minor: Violence and Abortion
arianna_lee's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- 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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape