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imds'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? No
3.75
Graphic: Death, War, Abandonment, Kidnapping, Police brutality, Transphobia, Violence, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Misogyny, Trafficking, Blood, Gore, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Body shaming, Animal cruelty, and Slavery
bg_oseman_fan'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: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Violence, and Gore
Moderate: Classism, Misogyny, Murder, Sexism, War, and Death
Minor: Alcohol, Animal death, Confinement, Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Dysphoria, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Sexual content, Slavery, Sexual harassment, Torture, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Rape, and Transphobia
violerwolf'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
4.25
I do think the prose and framing narrative could use some work, and this book focuses more heavily on plot than character development, but I thought it was a fun read.
Moderate: Misogyny, Murder, Animal cruelty, Alcohol, Trafficking, Classism, Torture, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Death, Slavery, Cursing, and Alcoholism
Minor: Addiction, Drug use, Body horror, and Death of parent
Most of the more troubling topics are part of the worldbuilding or characters’ pasts, not explicit parts of the story.persephonefoxx's review
- 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
To be a woman is to have your story misremembered. Discarded. Twisted.
There is something about the characters in this book that is almost addictive. With every new character introduced, I found myself more enraptured. Their personalities, their banter, their unique traits and intricacies.
Truly a masterclass in character building.
Graphic: Murder, Slavery, Death, Misogyny, and Violence
Moderate: Body horror, Gore, Alcohol, Sexual content, and Torture
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Classism, Transphobia, and Sexual violence
tacochelle'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
4.0
Moderate: Violence, Misogyny, Murder, Torture, and Transphobia
Minor: Religious bigotry, Slavery, Trafficking, and Alcoholism
talonsontypewriters'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
4.25
Graphic: Death, Murder, Gore, Blood, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Body horror
Moderate: Animal death, Genocide, Kidnapping, Confinement, Classism, Islamophobia, Xenophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Torture, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Dysphoria, War, Transphobia, Sexual assault, Rape, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Drug use, Slavery, Pedophilia, Cannibalism, and Vomit
futureofmydays'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: Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Colonisation, Alcoholism, Medical trauma, Murder, Alcohol, Blood, Death, Islamophobia, and Sexism
Moderate: Genocide, Grief, Slavery, Sexual harassment, Misogyny, Classism, Homophobia, Torture, and Trafficking
Minor: Vomit
rhi_'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? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcohol, Transphobia, Religious bigotry, Misogyny, and Torture
laurareads87's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Compared to Daevabad, so far I would say this series feels a bit lighter in tone -- there is some more comic relief between the serious and heavy aspects, with themes of friendship and found family amongst the protagonist and her crew and the complexities of pursuing one's dreams while also prioritizing being a parent. This book is also more rooted in historical research, with the very vast majority of the action taking place in twelfth century cities surrounding the Indian Ocean. Chakraborty's inclusion of a section on recommended further reading is great.
Content warnings: violence, murder, death, blood, gore, body horror (not extensive or particularly severe), torture, war, colonialism, mention of past massacres and mass killings, sexism, misogyny, sexual assault (mentioned in context of a threat; not described in detail), cannibalism (off page, not described in any graphic or detailed way)
Graphic: War, Violence, Murder, Misogyny, Blood, Death, and Sexism
Moderate: Colonisation
Minor: Body horror, Gore, Cannibalism, and Sexual assault
cameronreads's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked Amina as a protagonist. It felt like such a rich perspective to follow a middle-aged mother who very much feels like her adventures are over into this magical adventure. However it was very clear that she was the centre of this book, and whilst I liked the moments of the other characters we get and the established found family they formed years ago, I wanted a bit more out of the side characters.
For some reason it took me a while to get into this book. I think it’s partially due to the first person perceptive - whilst the writing in this book is truly wonderful, I do tend not o struggle with first person regardless, especially when there’s only one POV. It makes the story feel very linear to me, which is fine but struggles to hold my personal short attention span. It also definitely picked up nearer the end - the beginning feels more historical, and it slowly morphs into a fantasy nearer the end, which I personally prefer more, so that might be another reason.
Still, I really enjoyed this book, and it will become a go-to recommendation for me.
Graphic: Gore, Murder, Torture, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Alcohol, Blood, and Death
Moderate: Body horror, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, and Alcoholism
Minor: Addiction, Deadnaming, Death of parent, and Rape