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ashley_mrose530'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
4.0
I will say that there was something off-putting to me at first. I'm not entirely sure what it was but it had something to do with the voice whether it was the voice of the main character or the writing style or if it was the actual voice of the narrator, I'm not sure. But I was able to get used to it and get over it after a little bit.
I also didn't like the multiple threats of SA in this book. It seemed like every time the main character was in danger, she was also being threatened with rape. It happened like at least three times that I remember for sure and probably more than that and it was just really unnecessary. Like we get it, they're really bad men, but we don't need that referenced every time she's alone with one of them. It was frustrating and could be very triggering so be wary of that.
But other than those two things, I enjoyed this first book in the series. I thought the magic system was so interesting even though learning it did take some time and sometimes I still didn't understand how they were programming things and its intricacies - like sometimes it had to do with math and I was just lost haha - but I was able to understand it overall and in general so it didn't bother me too much.
I can't wait to read the rest of the series but I don't think my Libby has them so we'll see when that is.
Graphic: Sexism, Infidelity, Sexual content, Slavery, Violence, and Trafficking
Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault
Minor: War and Misogyny
lira_the_recluse'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? Yes
5.0
If I had a nickel every time I read a book in the last two months where
I do have some qualms. 1) occasionally the book equats being fat with being evil / greedy / lazy. 2) page breaks that don't change POV or skip any time.
Something like:
"Sancia reached into her pocket and threw the scribed sphere. A brilliant white flash lit up the room
...
When her eyes recovered, Sancia dove rushed the guard to grab his sword arm".
Graphic: Gun violence, Slavery, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Violence, and Medical content
Moderate: Confinement, Sexual assault, Torture, and Car accident
jessicalauren22's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
Graphic: Misogyny, Violence, Slavery, and Gore
Moderate: Torture and Sexual assault
Minor: Sexual content
hybridhavoc'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
3.0
My largest issue with the book is that the author seems very taken with their magic system and everything else seems to mostly be in service to that. Most of the characters seem flat and inconsistent; knowledge of the world is info-dumped on us very abruptly; dialogue is often to-the-point in a way that feels incredibly unnatural and isn't even necessary. Sometimes the book just skips over what should be important dialogue. Need to convince this character to betray their own family? "He told her only what she needed to hear." That's not a conversation, that's a cop-out.
I know that the trend for modern fantasy is all about hard magic systems, and it seems like that is maybe where the love for this book comes from. After all, it does have what seems to be a clever magic system. I hesitate to call it a hard magic system though, as there are almost no actual details provided, and very little in the way of hard boundaries set. That makes sense, given that the magic system is basically programming, and when you're programming reality there aren't many boundaries beyond your knowledge and imagination. But by its very nature, then, I can't view this as a hard magic system. There is no point at which the author can't simply say "Sure they're in a pickle right now, but what's this? They just got cleverer and came up with a new bit of programming."
I think the part of the book that had me eye-rolling the hardest has to be the villains. They are absolute caricatures, the flattest of flat characters. I suspect that this, at least, gets better in future books in the series. But I honestly can't know for certain because almost none of the characters are consistent in this book.
There is more positive than negative in Foundryside, but I don't think there's enough positive for me to keep going with the series.
Graphic: Sexism, Violence, Police brutality, Misogyny, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Classism and War
Minor: Slavery, Sexual assault, Rape, Infidelity, and Domestic abuse
raneyak'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
4.25
Graphic: Violence, Confinement, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Colonisation, and Murder
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexual assault, Torture, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Slavery, and Trafficking
Minor: War, Sexual content, Pedophilia, and Vomit
skrulls'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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Torture, Violence, Medical trauma, Murder, Physical abuse, and Slavery
Moderate: Rape, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual violence, Classism, Blood, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Vomit, and War
aseel_reads'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
4.25
Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Slavery, Torture, Trafficking, Violence, Vomit, War, Misogyny, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
jokehelldo's review
- 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: Gaslighting, Slavery, and Violence
Moderate: Misogyny
Minor: Sexual violence
astropova's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Gore, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Misogyny, Slavery, Sexism, and Medical trauma
briely'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
Graphic: Murder, Confinement, Blood, Death, Misogyny, and Body horror
Moderate: Slavery and Sexual harassment
Minor: Child death