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heidi_fischer'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
5.0
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
kmami'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
5.0
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
tanilian's review
- 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
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.
Graphic: Murder and Rape
fergus30's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Death and Slavery
Moderate: Pregnancy, Abortion, Blood, Misogyny, Murder, Forced institutionalization, and Grief
lindsaystenico8821's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Rape, Murder, Abortion, Death, and Grief
Minor: Pregnancy and Fire/Fire injury
carmentxx's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Death, Blood, Slavery, Child death, Body horror, Rape, Sexual assault, Trafficking, Physical abuse, Racism, Murder, Medical content, Suicide, Racial slurs, Grief, Emotional abuse, and Colonisation
catell's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Murder, Death, Blood, Suicide, Bullying, Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Sexism, Infidelity, Grief, Misogyny, Gaslighting, Domestic abuse, Abortion, Rape, Child death, Violence, Trafficking, Body shaming, Suicide attempt, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Classism, Adult/minor relationship, Slavery, Toxic friendship, Sexual violence, Sexual content, and Sexual assault
cc_tay's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Sexual content, Murder, Rape, Trafficking, Pedophilia, Misogyny, Grief, Abortion, Toxic friendship, Sexual assault, Violence, Suicide, Slavery, Kidnapping, Fatphobia, Body shaming, Toxic relationship, Sexism, Emotional abuse, Colonisation, Child abuse, Blood, and Alcoholism
gondorgirl's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Grief, Murder, Blood, Toxic friendship, Trafficking, Sexual violence, Alcohol, Classism, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Confinement, Sexism, Suicide, Misogyny, Bullying, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Child abuse, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, and Miscarriage
olliev15'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
4.0
Graphic: Death, Slavery, Violence, Rape, Murder, Sexual violence, and Classism