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salted07's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Alcoholism, Murder, Misogyny, Dysphoria, Drug use, Trafficking, Torture, Colonisation, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Confinement, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Grief, Alcohol, Blood, Classism, Addiction, Racism, Physical abuse, Cursing, Death of parent, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Torture
e_riahh'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
Moderate: Sexism, Misogyny, Alcoholism, Colonisation, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Classism, Sexual assault, Bullying, War, Grief, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Torture, Child death, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, and Xenophobia
Minor: Blood
anjasshelf'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: Trafficking, Violence, Bullying, Child death, Torture, Vomit, Confinement, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Slavery, Alcoholism, Blood, Colonisation, Alcohol, Classism, Kidnapping, War, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Rape
quiet_reader'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: Blood, Bullying, Colonisation, Addiction, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, Drug use, Dysphoria, War, Violence, Torture, Abandonment, Death, Drug abuse, Grief, Gore, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Child death, and Sexual violence
alli_andrews's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Minor: Gore, Grief, War, Trafficking, Gun violence, Rape, Slavery, Abandonment, Alcohol, Body horror, and Fire/Fire injury
warlocksarecool21'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
3.25
and I also want to know what the fuck was up with the witches. like you can’t just say there’s witches and not explain them or where the magic comes from. I didn’t mind the magic of the sea being kind of mysterious because no one truly understands it anyways but I wish there was some foundational explanation of the world history and magic system bc the information we got was kind of vague.
I know it sounds like I hated this but there were some fun elements to this story but I was ultimately a little disappointed.
Moderate: Colonisation, Drug abuse, Murder, Animal cruelty, Trafficking, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, Slavery, and Violence
Minor: Grief and Abandonment
discarded_dust_jacket'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? It's complicated
3.75
One of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to YA fantasy in particular, is when I can tell that an author is patronizing or talking down to their reader. I think sometimes the distinction between “accessible” and “clumsily over-simplified” can get muddy.
I notice it in particular when I read an author who’s known for their adult books, but who writes YA every now and then. The writing in the YA book will be so obviously adjusted to what, presumably, the author believes will be more “palatable” to a younger audience. I don’t think that’s always being fair to young readers. There’s obviously nuance here, but I think it can seem to communicate a lack of faith in their ability to understand complexity, dark themes, or challenging language.
This book was a pleasant surprise in that regard. I didn’t feel condescended to as I read, but it was still distinctly easy to read. The narrative flowed smoothly and kept my attention. The characters were easy to care about (I appreciated the expanded points of view as the story went on), and the plot didn’t shy away from dark or heavy material (like the impacts of colonialism, the ethics of survival at all costs, etc).
I also loved that the magic system in this book takes the shape of stories and storytelling; I thought that was really beautiful and unique.
There’s quite a few loose threads left dangling at the end of this book, which I hope get picked up in the forthcoming sequel!
Graphic: Grief, Addiction, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Alcoholism, Death, Colonisation, Child death, Blood, and Violence
Moderate: Murder and Gun violence
Minor: Homophobia, Torture, Vomit, Gore, Sexual assault, Slavery, and Death of parent
audreyreadz'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: Genocide, Death, Blood, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Torture, Vomit, Addiction, Alcohol, Colonisation, Grief, and Trafficking
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Abandonment, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault
sea_sea'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: Alcohol, Colonisation, Death, Gore, Blood, Classism, Drug abuse, Racism, Grief, Homophobia, Sexism, Addiction, Confinement, Death of parent, Violence, Alcoholism, Gun violence, Torture, Misogyny, and Murder
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Slavery, Sexual harassment, and Sexual assault
Minor: Child abuse and Child death
lilacs_book_bower's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Other than that, I didn't like most of the characters, and didn't even care about the two leads especially. They fall in love very quickly. This book is dark, please check the CW. CW:
If you like fantasy, especially with good LGBTQ rep, and like stories on the darker side, I would give this one a try. In spite of the mixed bag of reactions, I would read another from this author.
Graphic: Alcohol, Animal death, Child abuse, Classism, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Cursing, Gore, Blood, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Abandonment, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Child death, Colonisation, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Grief, Gun violence, Misogyny, Slavery, and Violence
Moderate: Rape