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taryn_g's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Blood, Violence, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Torture, Police brutality, Fire/Fire injury, and Grief
Minor: Medical content and Death of parent
ameliaamison's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Violence, Blood, War, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, and Torture
allisonwonderlandreads's review
adventurous
dark
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Oh, wow. It has been a ~minute~ since I read a 700-page book, and it shows. The swift pace and recap at the beginning were lifesavers, but this is still a giant book. The chapters are brief and roll smoothly into one another, keeping things moving and avoiding awkward periods of introspection. However, I think it is a universal law of book-reading that a tome this ginormous will drag at some points out of sheer spite.
This trilogy finale has some nuanced messaging, which I appreciated. It examines the different approaches of peaceful vs violent rebellion vs isolationism, ultimately painting the path forward in greyscale rather than zeroing in on a definitive answer. The stance against oppression stands firm, but the method of revolt takes thought and negotiation, the combining of malcontents under a single, forceful banner with a powerful voice and the will to persevere, to protect one another against an overwhelming force.
On the micro-scale of character arcs and the relationships built throughout the series, I was less satisfied. As I neared the conclusive page 700, I was surprised how little was resolved in that department even at the very end. In terms of POVs, it's true of the entire series that Chatine is what kept me going. That held true here. I love her tenacity, her wit, and her prickly way of protecting people she cares about. I loved the new Cerise POV, as well, shedding light on the cyborg problem that we heard about in the first two books on a more personal level. Marcellus is a controlling, moody white boy aka a major bummer. His obsessive behaivors (a word used often to describe his fixations) are addressed at the very end, but not in a way that brought me satisfying closure for my long-term investment. And Alouette is just ok. He unassailable morality and devout followers make her hard to connect to but difficult to dislike within reasonable, non-petty parameters.
The love quadrangle, a shape I hate even more than the dreaded love triangle, came with so much emotional confusion and dramatic kissing before big moments. And the readers don't know where the characters stand with each other because there's next to zero communication, and I'm not sure the characters know their feelings or intentions much better than we do. It follows one character to their deathbed speech (wtf lame), and is only resolved in a vague one paragraph epilogue about the future. It left me very detached from the emotional journey, only connected to the more palpable elements of confusion and strife.
This series is easy to read despite the length of the books, packs in a lot of thoughtful political commentary, and includes approachable science fiction content. I was disappointed in the resolution for the characters and their relationships, but I admired the broader messaging.
This trilogy finale has some nuanced messaging, which I appreciated. It examines the different approaches of peaceful vs violent rebellion vs isolationism, ultimately painting the path forward in greyscale rather than zeroing in on a definitive answer. The stance against oppression stands firm, but the method of revolt takes thought and negotiation, the combining of malcontents under a single, forceful banner with a powerful voice and the will to persevere, to protect one another against an overwhelming force.
On the micro-scale of character arcs and the relationships built throughout the series, I was less satisfied. As I neared the conclusive page 700, I was surprised how little was resolved in that department even at the very end. In terms of POVs, it's true of the entire series that Chatine is what kept me going. That held true here. I love her tenacity, her wit, and her prickly way of protecting people she cares about. I loved the new Cerise POV, as well, shedding light on the cyborg problem that we heard about in the first two books on a more personal level. Marcellus is a controlling, moody white boy aka a major bummer. His obsessive behaivors (a word used often to describe his fixations) are addressed at the very end, but not in a way that brought me satisfying closure for my long-term investment. And Alouette is just ok. He unassailable morality and devout followers make her hard to connect to but difficult to dislike within reasonable, non-petty parameters.
The love quadrangle, a shape I hate even more than the dreaded love triangle, came with so much emotional confusion and dramatic kissing before big moments. And the readers don't know where the characters stand with each other because there's next to zero communication, and I'm not sure the characters know their feelings or intentions much better than we do. It follows one character to their deathbed speech (wtf lame), and is only resolved in a vague one paragraph epilogue about the future. It left me very detached from the emotional journey, only connected to the more palpable elements of confusion and strife.
This series is easy to read despite the length of the books, packs in a lot of thoughtful political commentary, and includes approachable science fiction content. I was disappointed in the resolution for the characters and their relationships, but I admired the broader messaging.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Child abuse, Death of parent, Genocide, Grief, Police brutality, Violence, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, and Abandonment
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Slavery, Torture, and Forced institutionalization
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