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It’s violent in a really colonized way, with unnecessary death and weird justifications. It reads like kids playing at war as if that’s a good and necessary thing. As if children need to be violent and awful to survive a mysterious eastern other. When the truth is THEY are the monster their parents created and the “other” are just trying to live, not kill them. It was present in the first book but I didn’t catch it, now it screams colonization and I can’t believe I didn’t see it before.
One example: She literally goes into detail about how these children soldiers make sure to dye their hair while hiding out at a traitor compound while they are supposed to be doing war games. Aren’t the teachers suspicious when they come back with freshly died hair when they were supposed to be barely surviving and on dragons? How did they find pink hair dye at the hidden revolutionary compound?!!! It just screams “girl boss”. “Isn’t it so cool that they have cool hair while murdering people?!!”
Another example which finally got me to DNF, which I hate doing, was when Violet justified the killing of her classmates. Said it was necessary to prepare her. With the ongoing genocide of Palestine it made me sick. Thinking of what lies and justifications the US and other white dominate countries have for why they have to bomb civilians.
There are way more problems, like her disability, the main reason I read this book in the first place. Just like everything else her disability is appropriated and rings so shallow. I have a literal connective tissue disease like Violet but I can tell you the representation is not real. I was so excited to see it and so disappointed to see that just like revolution in this book, it’s a stolen poor imitation of it.
I recommend the 5th season if you want world building and actual revolution not just the aesthetic of revolution.
Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Biphobia, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Slavery, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Colonisation, War
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Drug abuse, Drug use, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Alcohol
Minor: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Excrement, Vomit, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Vomit
Graphic: Ableism, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, War, Injury/Injury detail
4⭐ out of 5⭐.
Tropes:
→ fantasy romance /romantasy
→ enemies to lovers
→ forced Proximity
→ academy (war college)
→ New Adult romance
→ chronic illness (h) representation
→ morally gray H
→found family
→ slow burn
→ overcoming adversity/underdog
→ dysfunctional family
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Graphic: Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, War
Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, War, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Confinement, Xenophobia, Vomit, Gaslighting, Alcohol
Minor: Bullying, Kidnapping
Graphic: Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury