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spellygirl'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
5.0
Graphic: Death, Gore, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Body horror, Emotional abuse, War, Blood, Confinement, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Classism
prettynerdy3'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: Sexual assault, Torture, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Gore, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Murder, Pregnancy, Racism, Rape, Blood, Genocide, Medical trauma, Sexism, Suicide attempt, Violence, and War
sadie_honey'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
4.0
Graphic: War, Grief, and Death
Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault
schnaucl's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
But it felt like the assassinations/war crimes commuted by Wren and her father were glossed over and Lei mostly feels bad about what she said to Wren regarding, you know, the war crimes. She puts her mercy killing of someone who asked to die in the same category as the political assassination of an innocent person and the murder of innocent civilians with a kind of well, everyone's got blood on their hands so it's all the same. But it isn't the same. At all.
And Wren may have to confess what she's done to Aoki, but that happens off screen and it's personal, there are no systematic consequences. All the other families who lost someone because of Wren and her father never learn the truth.
It's compounded by the fact that Wren's father doesn't survive so no one has to actually grapple with the fact that he also would have been a terrible, power hungry ruler who probably continued to commit atrocities while thinking he was behaving righteously. Even the fact the fact that he sent his daughter to be repeatedly raped is given a paragraph where Wren basically says she's tried really hard not to think about it over the years. I also get that having her father live probably would have required another book to deal with his disastrous reign and that would probably be stretching the story too far.
And I also get that Wren was a product of her upbringing which obviously shaped her thinking and personal ethics and morals.
But the book really does seem to have an attitude that everyone's hands are dirty and the good side won in the end so I guess sacrificing innocent people was the right call? Aside from the one fight with Lei and Wren there's no real grappling with the consequences of what Wren and her father did. Wren feels really bad about it at the end. But she's still part of the ruling council. What keeps Wren and Lei from living together isn't that one of them committed war crimes it's that Wren has a duty to rule without asking if she deserves to have that power. Weirdly, that doesn't seem to be a question that's ever asked.
Maybe there was no other way but you can say that and still think the people who committed the war crimes shouldn't hold power after because they may be tempted to reach for those same methods when it is expedient rather than (arguably) necessary.
The second book at least raises questions about even if a person does the ruthless but necessary thing whether they'll be able to live with it after the war is over and I just felt like this book doesn't seriously return to the question and it really needed to.
I'm not saying Wren needed to be executed or exiled. But it seems like there should be more personal consequences than she gets to rule and help shape the future of the new country and live happily ever after with her beloved. It's not that it costs her nothing, she does lose a key ally and the woman she loves is mad at her for a while and certainly people she cares about die but their deaths aren't really a personal consequence unless say there wouldn't have been a war in the first place but the book doesn't really go there, either.
I also get that if she came out at the end and said let me confess the truth to the country it would undoubtedly tear the new government and country apart. But there's never even a question about doing it. It doesn't occur to anyone that it might be necessary except in the case of one particular friend, which again is off screen and there's certainly no suggestion that Aoki might reveal it to anyone else.
And Lei still never questions how well she knows Wren or her own ability to judge people after the woman she loves admits to war crimes. Also her own alcoholism is entirely absent in this book so I guess withdrawal wasn't a problem in captivity.
I did like the very end which talked about new traditions.
Moderate: Death of parent, Physical abuse, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, War, Torture, Death, and Violence
Minor: Racism, Rape, and Pregnancy
kavitashankar'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
3.75
Graphic: Sexual violence, War, Violence, and Grief
Moderate: Homophobia
fantasyshelves'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: Death, Classism, War, Gore, Death of parent, Misogyny, Animal cruelty, Violence, Animal death, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Sexism
Moderate: Child death, Emotional abuse, Slavery, Death of parent, Grief, Physical abuse, Rape, and Torture
Minor: Suicide attempt, Ableism, Alcoholism, Fire/Fire injury, and Pregnancy
sarahna'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
4.0
I started the year off rereading the first two books of the series in order to fully enjoy the conclusion to it all and it was so worth it! Wren's pov was something I wished for since book one and it really made sense how it was implemented. I don't even know where to begin to review the series but overall it was just amazing to read a YA fantasy series that didn't just have amazing sapphic and disability rep but also had high stakes. Major characters do die and the ones that survive usually have injuries or disability they have to deal with and play a big role in the plot.
Spoilers ahead:
Nitta truly shined in the book and I loved all the parts she was in. I just wish Bo was still around with Merrin. I noticed how most queer characters ended up dying, including the morally grey ones (Shifu Cein) but lots of other characters die as well so maybe its just me noticing that. Bo was just such a great comedic relief and I loved the chemistry he had with Merrin. Nitta on the other hand embraced her disability and I loved the fact that she got a wheelchair appropriate for war. Just badass.
The reason why it was a five star read for me was that Wren and Lei's relationship yoyo-ed too much for me. Some conflicts were blown out of proportion and happened because of miscommunication or the lack of communication in general. So much could've been avoided and when they finally did get together in the end it felt a bit unbelievable but because of the high stakes it didn't feel too off.
I loved the section 3 months after the Demon king was killed. It tied all the story lines together and it was nice to see the remaining paper girls stick together. All in all, I really liked the series even if book 2 was a bit of a mess. Just lovely.
Graphic: Ableism, Blood, Classism, Death, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Sexual content, Violence, and War
starccato'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
3.5
Graphic: Blood, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, War, Xenophobia, and Slavery
Moderate: Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Medical content, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Trafficking, and Self harm
Minor: Ableism, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal death, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, and Vomit
abception'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: Death, Grief, Kidnapping, Slavery, Suicide attempt, and War
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Torture