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ellornaslibrary's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- 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
While the digital/ebook version has some formatting issues that I hope will get fixed in future, it didn't distract from me being able to enjoy this novella. The magic and lore was good, but I really liked the characters. I did wish it was just a liiiittle bit longer which is why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 stars. I love the setting, the characters, and the story we got to experience. They were all really interesting. Also found family is my favorite trope. I loved too how it felt almost like a standard medieval magic fantasy, but the elements that made it own gave it that fresh feel. I also really enjoyed that it was a queernorm setting too - don't see this nearly enough.
I really hope to read more from this author soon. Perhaps we'll even get more stores from the characters/places in this book cause I'd really like that a lot.
I really hope to read more from this author soon. Perhaps we'll even get more stores from the characters/places in this book cause I'd really like that a lot.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Violence, and Gore
Moderate: War, Fire/Fire injury, Confinement, Sexual content, and Addiction
lady_moon's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Rep: Black cast, lesbian MC, sapphic side characters, achilliean side characters, enby side character
Well, well, well. Look at this gem shining on my all time favorite shelf.
Well, well, well. Look at this gem shining on my all time favorite shelf.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, and Blood
Moderate: Cursing, Abandonment, and Confinement
booksthatburn's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
STONE AND STEEL is the rare book that I feel perfectly neutral about. It's a story of sisterhood, romance, power, corruption, and betrayal as a returning general finds out that her queen sits on a golden throne of broken promises while her people starve.
The story was clunky in some places because it felt like it was trying to fit a lot of detail into a low page count, some parts of the emotional core were really well conveyed and genuinely moving, others were rushed and didn't have time to properly build. It's like it was trying to be more book than it had room to be, and so the whole story suffers for it. I almost didn't finish it, but pushed through because it would feel a bit silly to not finishing something that was going to take me under an hour to read. In the end I'm totally neutral about it. It's not bad enough to warn anyone away from, but it also didn't compel me as a whole and I don't know if any circumstances could prompt me to recommend it.
I enjoyed the beginning a lot, the framing is compelling and the setup is pretty good. It's canonically diverse in gender, sexuality, and race, putting explicit representation on the page and making the story better in the process. I like the main character and I really got to know and like a lot of the secondary characters, moreso than I would have expected for this large of a cast in this short of a book. One specific downside is that the ending feels rushed, and on the way to the finale it piles on a few more characters and one big reveal, but I hadn't had time to anticipate or wonder it so it felt like the answer to a question I hadn't yet asked. These problems would likely be easily solvable in a longer version of this same story, and that is something I'd be interested in reading.
The story was clunky in some places because it felt like it was trying to fit a lot of detail into a low page count, some parts of the emotional core were really well conveyed and genuinely moving, others were rushed and didn't have time to properly build. It's like it was trying to be more book than it had room to be, and so the whole story suffers for it. I almost didn't finish it, but pushed through because it would feel a bit silly to not finishing something that was going to take me under an hour to read. In the end I'm totally neutral about it. It's not bad enough to warn anyone away from, but it also didn't compel me as a whole and I don't know if any circumstances could prompt me to recommend it.
I enjoyed the beginning a lot, the framing is compelling and the setup is pretty good. It's canonically diverse in gender, sexuality, and race, putting explicit representation on the page and making the story better in the process. I like the main character and I really got to know and like a lot of the secondary characters, moreso than I would have expected for this large of a cast in this short of a book. One specific downside is that the ending feels rushed, and on the way to the finale it piles on a few more characters and one big reveal, but I hadn't had time to anticipate or wonder it so it felt like the answer to a question I hadn't yet asked. These problems would likely be easily solvable in a longer version of this same story, and that is something I'd be interested in reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Blood, Gore, Violence, Torture, and Death
Moderate: Cursing, Sexism, Confinement, Drug abuse, and Drug use
Minor: Domestic abuse and Death of parent
katieconrad's review
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Sexual content and Incest
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