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gwyllion'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: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Eating disorder, Homophobia, and Classism
nishana's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
4.0
misaki's story is one that is all too familiar to many women. a skilled fighter in her younger years, with so much passion and potential ahead of her, only for it all to be crushed by her parents' expectations of her to be married and have children. 15 years later, she is lost in regret, wondering when all of this loneliness and despair will finally pay off.
on a personal level, reading about misaki was devastating, as i saw so much of my own mother, my aunts and even a future version of myself in her. it's such an important story to be told, one that doesn't get told enough yet is prevalent in the women all around us. misaki's perspective has moved me on a fundamental level, making me realise the importance of fighting for myself.
the second thing this book does so well is portraying death and grief. there were points in the story that the grief felt so real, so suffocating that it was painful. every character handles it differently, especially in such a violent situation, but i cried for every one of them. some characters survive grief and trauma and become stronger, whilst others are unable to. it's the harsh reality of life that this book portrays so well.
my main pain point with this story lies with the last few chapters. somehow, i wish we could've found a different outcome for misaki and takeru's relationship. and as for the final chapter, everything felt a bit clumsy and unnecessary. there was a whole new character arc introduced here and i feel like it would've been far more fitting to have a more brief and bittersweet conclusion to tie up those loose ends.
overall, this was a beautiful book that will stay with me for a long time. i recommend this highly but please check trigger warnings before reading.
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Violence, Grief, and War
Moderate: Miscarriage, Rape, and Suicide
navery'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
3.75
Graphic: Sexism, Suicide, and War
Moderate: Rape
kyrisof66's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Murder, Colonisation, and War
doodeedoda's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Colonisation
Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Slavery, and Kidnapping
tokiberry'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
⤷ ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑
✶⋆.˚ “Most strong things are rigid. If you are water, you can shift to fit any mold and freeze yourself strong. You can be strong in any shape. You can be anything.”
I pushed back reading this book because of how overwhelming it felt.. Once I finished it, I was flooded with emotion. The world-building, characters, and flow were perfect. What a masterpiece! I felt like I couldn’t stop reading once we got to the war scene because despite not knowing much about certain characters, you’d feel attached to the village and the villagers once everything went down. M.L. Wang’s portrayal of the characters’ emotions of pain and loss is so vivid that you can almost feel the heartache and sorrow of these characters.
I highly encourage readers to immerse themselves in this remarkable work.
❝ Wholeness, she had learned, was not the absence of pain but the ability to hold it. ❞ ꕤ
୭ ˚.⁺⊹ .ᐟ
₊⊹ post-read: i’m not surprised that this is a five. but wow, oh, wow. what an amazing read.
Graphic: Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Rape, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Domestic abuse
Minor: Miscarriage, Suicide, Kidnapping, and Pregnancy
bonzai'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
4.5
This was a heavy and emotional story the entire way through. I really liked following the different POV’s between son, mother and a bit of the father because it gave a more complex and layered perspective on the same events. How could anyone who enjoyed this book not love Misake and validate the feelings/struggles of being a woman in this patriarchal society. An elemental magic system is always a fun one to dive into (definitely wanted even more), and I’d totally be into reading more books from this world if the author ever decides to revisit it. There are huge themes on familial/societal expectations and different forms of grief that I think any reader could relate to. There were multiple scenes depicting loss of loved ones and how characters can honor those efforts and sacrifices while continuing to go on. Any good war story also touches upon how a government censors and essentially lies to citizens in order to keep them complacent/ignorant alongside great action scenes. There are some plot holes that would’ve suggested other stories were going to be written and expanded upon, but I was fairly satisfied with the ending. Overall, for me, it was a page turner and one I would recommend to others.
Graphic: Child death, Death, Miscarriage, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, and War
Moderate: Rape
roxy_reads_romance's review against another edition
- 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
2.0
Graphic: Blood and War
Minor: Rape and Suicide
siobhan28'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
Graphic: Child death, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Grief, War, and Injury/Injury detail
hey_al'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
5.0
Graphic: Suicide, Violence, Murder, and War
Moderate: Rape
Minor: Miscarriage