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snickahz'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
3.5
Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Addiction, Abandonment, Confinement, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Gun violence, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, Drug abuse, Kidnapping, Slavery, Vomit, War, Torture, Drug use, Rape, Panic attacks/disorders, and Forced institutionalization
bororyales'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
Moderate: Sexual assault, Ableism, and Racism
kendal_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Addiction, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Religious bigotry, and Ableism
infjkiki'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: Violence, Murder, Animal death, Gun violence, Slavery, Death, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Torture, Gore, Trafficking, Blood, and Genocide
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Excrement, Grief, Misogyny, Child death, Cultural appropriation, Death of parent, Abandonment, Ableism, Alcohol, Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, Cursing, and Panic attacks/disorders
lyrapollock'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: Violence, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Animal cruelty, Death, Addiction, Slavery, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Deportation, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Murder, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Colonisation, Drug abuse, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Addiction, Deportation, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, and Animal death
deerlybeloved'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
You'll be on the edge of your seat, wanting more, and desperate to see how it all pans out for our beloved characters by the end of it.
Graphic: Abandonment, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Classism, Drug abuse, Child abuse, Blood, Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Kidnapping, Ableism, and Trafficking
Moderate: Trafficking, Sexual violence, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Violence, Alcohol, Drug use, Grief, Physical abuse, Xenophobia, Child abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Rape, Sexism, Chronic illness, Confinement, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, War, and Slavery
Inej, one of the main characters, has a backstory HEAVILY rooted in discussion of pedophilia, child trafficking, sex trafficking, slavery, sexual slavery, rape, sexual abuse, kidnapping, and so much more. While handled with beautiful tact and insight, the depictions of flashbacks and Inej's feelings of these things can comfort survivors of similar things as much as it destroys us. Go with caution. As well, religious bigotry, ableism, trauma, emotional neglect, horrid things happening to children, war, racial fetishization, and so much more is dealt with in tactful ways, but ever presently used as reminders that the world is as imperfect and dark as it is beautiful.ghostlyprince'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: Classism, Addiction, Death, Drug use, Gore, Confinement, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Child death, Gun violence, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Animal death, Animal cruelty, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Child abuse, Cultural appropriation, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Slavery, and Torture
Minor: War, Ableism, Alcohol, Body shaming, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Vomit, Racism, Sexual harassment, Trafficking, Physical abuse, and Sexism
mxbluet18'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? No
5.0
alcohol consumption and recreational drug use; drugging without consent; forced and coerced drug dependency. As well as implied panic attacks and nightmares; implied coerced suicide; blood and gore depiction, graphic physical injuries, emesis, medical experimentation, dead bodies, plague, body modifications (with consent).
Grief depiction and death of a father, brother, family and friend; murder, attempted murder, physical assault, knife and gun violence, torture, strangulation, explosions. Kidnapping, drowning.
☆
☆
Realistically I picked this up three days ago and finished it in the early hours. Once I started it I didn't really put it down. It's a duology that's been sitting on my TBR list for a while, as was the Shadow and Bone series, and it took a while for me to get to them, which is something I regret. My friend recommended them to me a while ago, and I understand why they did now. I even sent them a message while I was reading saying that I understand the pull of Kaz Brekker now.
~
One thing that really stood out to me was the amount of representation in this. Both in terms of sexuality and disability and neurodivergency. There's a bisexual character and a gay character.
And Kaz walks with a cane because of a severe limp and chronic pain, as well as the leather gloves he always wears, which is somewhat discussed as being because of trauma and a resulting aversion to touch, he the flashbacks and fainting he experiences are potentially the result of PTSD from childhood trauma. And while it's not actually confirmed in the books, the descriptions make it fairly plain that Jesper probably has ADHD. He also has a gambling addiction.
~
Two other things I feel the book does really well, and I feel are written very well is flesh out the characters, give them a really rich backstory, but make their motives subtle but clear. Like for Kaz, he clearly has a reason for persuing Pekka Rollins, and his childhood was explained in segments. But it's left to the reader to connect those dots because nothing is explicitly stated.
Graphic: Gore, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Blood, Body horror, Chronic illness, Death, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Drug use, Medical content, Trafficking, and Gun violence
Minor: Bullying and Ableism
aliyachaudhry'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: Xenophobia, Death, Sexual harassment, Gun violence, Violence, Body horror, Murder, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, Slavery, Racism, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, Confinement, Blood, Pedophilia, Trafficking, Gore, Child death, Sexual violence, Drug use, Police brutality, Sexual assault, and Genocide
Moderate: Torture, Sexism, Addiction, Death of parent, Alcohol, Misogyny, and Rape
Minor: Ableism
maya_venkatesh36'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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Trafficking, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Ableism, and Sexual violence