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readandfindout's review against another edition
4.0
Themes: 4.5 stars
Characters: 4 stars
Plot: 3.5 stars stars
Worldbuilding: 4 stars
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Child death, Infidelity, Violence, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Grief, Pandemic/Epidemic, War, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, and Murder
Moderate: Religious bigotry and Animal death
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Suicide, and Cannibalism
shottel'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
4.75
This mandate to procreate establishes this book as far more clearly feminist (the idea that women have issues, interests, and stories worth hearing as much as men do) than its sequel. The need for nobility to sustain itself through childbirth is a recurring, central issue of the book, among other issues which concern women more than they do men, which also make frequent appearances.
In some ways, this book feels like it was written to an audience that might be into medieval court drama or epic adventures, but aren't too fond of the biases that pervade those genres. It is a grand epic, fantastically wrote, including women, LGBT+ characters, and people of color as equals to men, cishet, and white characters.
There are only a few places where it falters. The biggest problem I had is that the action scenes are confusing. I found myself frequently struggling to imagine the scene, re-reading portions over and over again. At first I thought it was a me issue, but after a half-dozen or so times, I figured it's probably not a me problem.
Additionally, I flagged two more minor concerns. First, with the presence of so many LGBT+ characters, the lack of transfeminine characters stands out oddly. Perhaps one or both of the nonbinary characters in the book are intended to be transfeminine, but there is no way to know this from the text. I don't make any guesses as to why; it just sits weirdly. Secondly, while *Priory* is a truly self-contained work, *Fallen Night* hints at an intention to write another book set between the two. This is the only change which I find to be a step backwards from *Priory*.
When layered inside an over 800 page grand adventure, these issues are minor, thus my score of 4.75/5. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in grand adventures, feminist fiction, fantasy, or fiction with LGBT+ main characters.
Graphic: Alcohol, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Religious bigotry, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Sexism, Blood, Death, Violence, Grief, War, Terminal illness, Misogyny, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Kidnapping, Child death, Infertility, Body horror, Gore, Emotional abuse, Torture, Miscarriage, and Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Cannibalism, Abortion, and Animal cruelty
dragongirl271'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
5.0
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Death
Moderate: Animal death, Death of parent, Animal cruelty, and Child death
Minor: Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Cancer, and Cannibalism
the_reading_wren'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: Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Sexual content, Animal death, Blood, Religious bigotry, Toxic friendship, War, Violence, Grief, Alcohol, Death, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Child death and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Adult/minor relationship, Colonisation, Gore, Abortion, Excrement, Infidelity, Cannibalism, Misogyny, Chronic illness, Suicide, Confinement, Mental illness, Medical content, Suicide attempt, and Classism
georgialee01'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
4.5
Graphic: Blood and Pregnancy
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Death, Pandemic/Epidemic, Kidnapping, and Grief
Minor: Cannibalism and Suicide
lizziaha's review against another edition
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Blood, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Pandemic/Epidemic, Pregnancy, Violence, and War
Moderate: Grief, Medical content, Sexual content, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Religious bigotry, Injury/Injury detail, Terminal illness, Animal cruelty, Gore, and Abandonment
Minor: Mental illness and Cannibalism
bookshelfmonkey'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
4.75
Graphic: War, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual content, Violence, Death of parent, Blood, Death, Grief, Religious bigotry, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
Moderate: Bullying, Adult/minor relationship, and Gore
Minor: Rape, Cannibalism, Torture, and Suicide
mahitdzmare'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
4.25
Moderate: Blood, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Death of parent, Pandemic/Epidemic, and War
Minor: Cannibalism
brynalexa'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? No
5.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Suicide, Pandemic/Epidemic, Blood, War, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Murder, and Alcohol
Minor: Cannibalism and Infertility
micheala's review against another edition
4.5
This one takes place 500 years before Priory, however I would still recommend reading it after Priory. There are a couple of world building things that get revealed as Priory progresses that are introduced much sooner in ADoFN that I think would take away some enjoyment from Priory.
ADoFN has more POVs, but they are better balanced then in Priory. I actually found myself interested in all of them, despite seeing certain character reveals coming from a long way off.
I also think the character work in general was more effective this time. I loved the breadth of relationships we see, with Tunuva and Esbar's being my personal favourite.
One of my critics about Priory was how abrupt the final battle felt, and this one doesn't have that issue at all. As well, I just think the pacing and how all the POVs interconnect is better done.
In general, I think that ADoFN is just slightly better written. It's not perfect, but I am interested in seeing any other snapshots in time in this world that the author chooses to write.
If you have the chance, the audiobook has a wonderful interview with the author at the end that is well worth the listen.
Moderate: War, Blood, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Animal death, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Grief, and Violence
Minor: Cannibalism