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astridrc's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
Graphic: Pregnancy, War, Murder, Drug use, Rape, Sexual assault, and Genocide
allishortell's review against another edition
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Gore, War, Colonisation, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Genocide
Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual violence, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, and Torture
Minor: Blood and Vomit
scholastic_squid'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
3.75
The beginning really took me in and I was loving it and the world building. The characters throughout the book as a whole are all memorable with unique personalities however, I began struggling with the story once the school lessons were fairly repetitive. Which fine.. I understand.. but, then when the war breaks out the book took a deep dive into darkness (again ok it’s about war and Chinese history told as fantasy) but damn.. the sudden change of tone to describe what I’m assuming was Nan King’s experience after being written almost like a YA book to incredibly descriptive language about that atrocity? Eek. This book is definitely not YA, but I would say that much of it is written in that style. I think what brought my rating down was the last 1/4th it was just a whine fest to me and didn’t really leave it as a nail biting cliff hanger so like I’m not jazzed about picking up the second book? Also, I would have loved a bibliography of sorts about all the sources she used to help tell her tale.. similar to how The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi ended. The author loaded up a chapter telling the reader many of her reference books. Also, I really feel like this book needed a trigger warning page? If I missed it that’s on me I guess but yikes haha there’s a lot that happens.
Graphic: Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, Grief, Gore, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Rape, Slavery, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Infertility, Drug use, Drug abuse, War, Suicidal thoughts, Racism, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Panic attacks/disorders, Emotional abuse, and Torture
a_novi'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
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Confinement, Drug abuse, Drug use, Violence, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Murder, Animal cruelty, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, Rape, Slavery, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Death, Grief, Infertility, Physical abuse, Torture, Blood, Pregnancy, War, Gore, Sexual violence, Vomit, Medical content, Colonisation, and Genocide
jchappell'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: Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, and Rape
224ok'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? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Sexism, Ableism, Domestic abuse, Body horror, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Drug abuse, Medical trauma, Blood, Colonisation, Fatphobia, Pregnancy, Genocide, Medical content, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Gore, Addiction, Classism, Cursing, Death, Child death, Misogyny, Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Fire/Fire injury, Racism, Torture, War, Rape, Sexual violence, Vomit, Bullying, Child abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Self harm, Grief, Racial slurs, Suicide, Xenophobia, and Injury/Injury detail
antiithesis'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
5.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Blood, Death, Violence, Addiction, War, and Slavery
Minor: Pregnancy, Rape, and Drug abuse
linus_rieper'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
4.5
This is not a book one should go into blindly. It is rough, and terrible. Well written, but heartbreaking in a way I have not experienced in a book before this.
I cannot stress it enough, read the trigger warnings before reading this, and prepare for the unfiltered horrors of war.
Graphic: Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Animal death, Blood, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, War, Child abuse, Gore, Murder, Sexual assault, Addiction, Pregnancy, Rape, Violence, Xenophobia, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Drug abuse, and Child death
Moderate: Bullying, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Classism, Misogyny, and Pedophilia
maxcarwile's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Child death, Genocide, Murder, Violence, Torture, Animal cruelty, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Drug use, Drug abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, War, Suicidal thoughts, Animal death, Addiction, Sexual violence, Death, and Pedophilia
Moderate: Kidnapping and Medical content
Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic
reollls's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Vomit, Violence, Genocide, Addiction, Murder, Child death, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Animal cruelty, Blood, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Rape, Gore, Drug use, Drug abuse, Death, Pregnancy, and Sexual violence