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purplatypus'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
4.0
Graphic: Medical content, Xenophobia, Murder, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Grief, War, Blood, Colonisation, Gun violence, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcohol, Pregnancy, and Classism
hybridhavoc's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Suicide, Blood, Self harm, and Xenophobia
Minor: Murder, Alcohol, Terminal illness, and Grief
quarkie's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
What I liked: I thought the concepts of imago machines and a poetry-based political system were fascinating. I wanted to keep reading in order to find out more about the world. The characters were all written to be strong and individual.
What I didn't like: I'm not sure if it's because I wasn't paying close enough attention, but I found the plot to be a bit incoherent at times. I couldn't isolate the precise motivations of each character, as they seemed to be changing over time. Some plot points would come up, and then never come up again, or come up at a point where they no longer really matter since the situation had since changed. Maybe this was on purpose, to reflect the changing political circumstances, but it led to a slightly less-than-satisfying read. The main character kept coming back to two main points (her missing imago machine and her relationship with the Teixcalaani culture) so often that it felt a bit ham-fisted.
Overall, I think it's an interesting concept that could have been executed slightly better. Still a wholly worth-while read.
Graphic: Blood, Suicide, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Violence, Terminal illness, Murder, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, War, and Grief
Minor: Alcohol
starlitpage's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Colonisation, Xenophobia, War, Violence, Medical content, Blood, and Death
Moderate: Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Self harm, Grief, and Murder
Minor: Terminal illness, Sexual content, and Abandonment
bergha1998'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
4.0
“Imagining what they might do and not actually having to do it.”
“Everything she had ever wanted when she was fifteen. Right here. She thought it should probably have made her feel happy, instead of abruptly unreal. Disconnected—depersonalized. Like she was happening to someone else.”
“Poetry is for the desperate, and for people who have grown old enough to have something to say.”
“I will always be measuring the distance between myself and a person who remained in the heart of the world; between the person I would have been had I stayed and the person I have become.”
Graphic: Police brutality, Xenophobia, War, Colonisation, Medical content, Murder, Suicide, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Alcohol
cskye's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Cursing, Blood, Colonisation, Death, and Suicide
Moderate: Xenophobia, Alcohol, Confinement, Police brutality, Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Grief, and War
cloud_of_eden's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Violence, Gun violence, Murder, Suicide, Blood, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Colonisation and Xenophobia
Minor: Alcohol
rlinnyc'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? It's complicated
3.25
Minor: Gaslighting, Violence, Body horror, Alcohol, Blood, Classism, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Medical content, and War
jjjreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Colonisation, Medical trauma, Cultural appropriation, Classism, Police brutality, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Grief, Medical content, War, Xenophobia, Murder, Racism, and Suicide
Moderate: Self harm, Alcohol, Blood, Cannibalism, Child abuse, and Cursing
strange_little_ranger's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Minor: Colonisation, Blood, Cancer, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Medical content, Police brutality, War, Grief, Gun violence, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Vomit