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joshoonet'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
4.0
- I had a bit if a hard time getting into this book, mostly because the feeling of having to read another ~1200 pages to finish the series was kind of daunting
- But then I ended up finishing the majority of the book in one day, so it was absolutely captivating!
- Almost as good as the first one, but of course higher stakes and more complicated politics
- Lost focus a bit during the big fighting bits
- Love how nothing is ever quite how it seems, everyone is scheming all the time
- Starting the third book immediately!
Graphic: Violence, Gore, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, War, Gun violence, Classism, and Death
Moderate: Vomit, Cursing, Murder, and Kidnapping
Minor: Child abuse, Genocide, Torture, and Excrement
War and pretty much all the violent and gory stuff:cami_stokes3859's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Blood, Gore, Violence, and War
Moderate: Classism, Injury/Injury detail, and Genocide
st_ender's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I did have fun tho, it was tense and it made me gasp and go wait whaaat out loud so I guess the aim was achieved. It was also very different than the first one in about everything but also less ender-y (don't worry the space school takes like a chapter) so I'm excited for the next one
Graphic: Pregnancy, Murder, War, Classism, Death of parent, Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, and Genocide
Moderate: Alcoholism, Blood, and Trafficking
grets_reads'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? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Murder, Violence, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and War
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Trafficking, Police brutality, Classism, Genocide, Slavery, Xenophobia, and Grief
Minor: Torture, Pregnancy, Rape, Vomit, and Alcohol
okays1331's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The space battles, the war, the strategy, the politics are all so well written and nail biting. The author does not pull punches. Brown has no problem murdering anyone on the pages making the battles so much more terrifying to read. There are parts where I honestly thought we were going to get a new main character. Still unsure if that might not be the case...
But my favorite part and the part that is so unexpected to me every time is the poignancy of moments where the author takes apart the characters. What is good? What is an acceptable cost? What is redemption? These books are a mirror held up to us to see ourselves and humanity. Some of my favorite moments are moments where Darrow is talking to his friends or his enemies about themselves and the society.
The ending! I am so upset.
Darrow makes a choice in this book to put his trust into the people he cares about gambling that that trust can change people and make them more than they are. It works. It's so beautiful when Sevro embraces him as a Red and as a brother or when Tactus turns back to him in tears when given a second chance or Ragnar chooses his own destiny instead of a life of slavery. Brown sets it up, so I sit in dread every time Darrow chooses to act like a human instead of Gold. But it works again and again and again until I started to truly believe that because of who Darrow is, he can get through to each of them and build a trust so unshakable it can withstand anything. Even when Mustang runs away from his reveal of the truth, I still believed she would come around.
Then Roque betrays him, kills their friends, and tells him they are not brothers because Darrow is a Red. My heart shattered into tiny tiny pieces.
Graphic: Blood, Cursing, Death, Murder, Slavery, and Violence
Moderate: Genocide, Racism, and Torture
Minor: Cannibalism and Sexual content