Scan barcode
sarah_hutchins'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: Torture, Slavery, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Drug abuse, Sexual violence, Gun violence, Gore, and Violence
Minor: Addiction, Fire/Fire injury, Animal cruelty, Child death, Panic attacks/disorders, Animal death, and Cursing
elizareign'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
4.0
I don’t particularly gravitate towards fantasy books but after all the hype I’ve seen this book get I had to check it out for myself. I’m so glad I did because this book is truly for anyone who loves the found family trope and a good heist. Admittedly, the lingo is a bit confusing as first if you haven’t read the Shadow & Bone trilogy but it’s not impossible to understand by any means. I would also say it had a slow start (hence the four stars) but after about 5 chapters you really start to get into it and form a connection with these characters. Overall, this book will make for a delightful reread in the future.
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Death, Animal death, and Body horror
Moderate: Grief, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders
bookthief'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
I loved the characters. They were each unique and had there their own problems and personalities but they were incredible.
Kaz comes across as very cold hearted and evil, but inside he is just a boy with trauma. I felt so bad about what happened to him and Jordie ( bro) when they were kids and the reason why Kaz has to wear gloves. During the heist, Kaz was extremely clever, coming up with plans and having the think on the spot. I was super glad he was able to push through his anxieties and complete the heist.
Throughout the book I was routing for Kaz and Inej to get together but no!! Kaz has to go and keep his ‘armour ‘ on!! They would be such a great couple.
Inej is super sweet and caring when she’s not the Wraith. Her story is so sad, since she got taken when she was a girl and put into the menagerie. I honestly thought she was going to die at multiple moments throughout the book. When she got seriously injured at the beginning ( Kaz’s reaction:(, when she had to climb that incinerator and almost let go to her death. When she got taken by the guards at the ice court I thought it was it then but no she pulled through again and survived. At the end when they had reached Ketterdam and negotiating with Van Eck and she just got taken away. That broke my heart, I felt what Kaz felt.
Jesper has a great personality, like in the series. And he was super brave and always tried to play it cool. I learnt more about his Grisha powers ( durast ) since he used them a lot in the ice court and I wasn’t surprised about it since I already knew from the series.
Wylan was super sweet and was like a little puppy. Him and Jesper would be a perfect match and I actually can’t handle the fact that they aren’t together yet in the book! I was devastated for Wylan when his dad would have killed him to weaken the crows. He must have felt distraught.
Nina was an icon. She’s super powerful and funny. I love her so much. She had gone through so much. Having to see the one she loves hate and almost try and kill her, seeing her kind (grisha) hunted and killed in front of her, having to see the jurda parem kill her friends, having to face her slaver. She is just so brave and inspirational. And I am glad her and Matthias sorted things out in the end.
I was definitely concerned throughout the duration of the book that Matthias would betray Kaz and kill Nina. He was definitely an interesting character. Inside the ice court when Matthias locked Nina in a cell, I thought that was it, they are all dead. But I was so glad Matthias pulled through and was actually tricking Brum. Major character development.
Overall, I loved this book. The character’s personalities, the tension of the heist and the cliff hanger at the end with Inej and then Pekka Rollins. It was definitely a great read!
I also loved the inclusion of LGBTQ+!
Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Child death, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Animal death, Drug use, Dysphoria, Murder, Slavery, Violence, Drug abuse, Grief, and Gun violence
david_slack110507'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
One of the main enticements of this book for me was the characters and I'm glad to say that the characters, at least our main group of 6, all were incredibly well-written and developed. I think their connections as a group as well as intergroup connections with one another were so well done. I loved them all - Kaz, Inej, Jesper, Wylan, Nina, and Matthias - and I found that I was never once bored when it shifted to either one of their perspectives which I'm really glad this book did as everyone had a unique character background which explained why they were doing what they were doing as well as having unique perspectives on the heist that lay ahead of them.
Speaking of the heist, I found that the heist as the plot was actually really strong, and it helped move the book along at a brisk but nice pace allowing for moments to breathe before the next one arrived. I found the pre-planning and the constant shift in plan when something unaccounted for happened or when something wrong took place was extremely enjoyable and it was really good to see these characters constantly face change during their heist on the Ice Court and adapt the best that they could.
I also really liked seeing the world beyond Ravka and the Grisha's perspective as that was something that, now looking back on it, was missing from the Shadow and Bone books so it was interesting to see what the Fjerdans/Fjerda thinks of Grisha and vice versa as well as seeing the story set in a place of less elegance and extravagance than Ravka with East Stave and the 'Barrel'. It also built upon Grisha magic with the introduction of Jurda Parem, a drug that allows Grisha to do unimaginable things that break the previous limits of their power; I do wish we had gotten to see more of it but I also think that what we saw did demonstrate well enough why it was so dangerous to the world and why it was imperative that this not fall into the wrong hands.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this even if it did take me a lot longer than I wanted to but I found it to be a huge step up from the Shadow and Bone books and the next book is rated even better so I can't even imagine how good of a treat that'll be which I'm hoping to get around to relatively soon as I try and finish up the other books I have on the go. I'm interested in seeing whether or not the next book, Crooked Kingdom, will resolve the cliffhanger off screen (or off the page in this instance, with explanations in the form of exposition spread throughout to explain it) or whether it will start the book and wrap it up relatively quickly to then go onto the actual plot of that book but I guess only time will tell.
Graphic: Blood, Slavery, Kidnapping, Death, Violence, Trafficking, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Drug abuse, Child death, Confinement, Sexual assault, Torture, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Chronic illness, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, Ableism, Cursing, Drug use, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Abandonment, Addiction, and Rape
Minor: Classism, Medical content, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Sexual content, and Alcohol
hal00alex's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Moderate: Animal death and Death
Minor: Slavery, Death of parent, War, Trafficking, Blood, Addiction, Vomit, and Gun violence
caitlineliza'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
4.5
Graphic: Classism, Medical trauma, Animal death, Abandonment, Gore, Murder, Violence, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, and War
Moderate: Drug use and Misogyny
izzysreading's review against another edition
SPOILERS: She told the others or at least thought it, that Matthias hates her and kills Grishas, but she's still in love with him??? Plus, if I know that a person wants me dead, I won't go near them, so the end of her chapter was well deserved. She should've known better.
Graphic: Animal death, Violence, Animal cruelty, Drug abuse, Gun violence, and Blood
Moderate: Drug use, Child death, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Sexual violence
gillian_aftanas'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
4.75
Graphic: Blood, Religious bigotry, Genocide, Gun violence, Addiction, Medical content, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Body horror, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Violence, Grief, Sexual harassment, Gore, Trafficking, Slavery, Ableism, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism
Minor: Excrement, Death of parent, Animal death, and War
johns6ka'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: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Grief, Gun violence, Rape, War, Police brutality, Racism, Child abuse, Animal death, Confinement, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Slavery, Classism, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Death, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Forced institutionalization, Child death, Pandemic/Epidemic, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Ableism
Minor: Pedophilia
kingspite618'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
Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Murder, Grief, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Blood, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Child abuse, Gun violence, Ableism, and Animal death