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lara_hoffy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Blood
Moderate: Death, Colonisation, and Genocide
Minor: Suicide attempt
ging090803's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I liked the idea, the competition, the murders. I wish we could have seen more of the Tests but it was still great.
Celaena was great... but not for the world's greatest assassin. I know she's only 18 but she has seen so much that she acts older than that yet I felt like she was 16 some time. She's the world's greatest assassin but cannot be woken up for training... shouldn't she enjoy it? She is feared but hears no one that enters her room, fully awake or not.
The book itself was good, the idea was cool. I just wished Celaena was more of a badass killing machine that survived a death camp and need to participate in a real competition to win her freedom than a whining teen who just wants to sleep and enjoy some pretty ball.
Graphic: Blood, Violence, and Confinement
Moderate: Sexual content, War, Death, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Torture
angstifies's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
a complaint i have has to be that the writing felt very 2012, especially because of the damn exclamation points, but it wasn't unbearable and i know it’ll get better.
Graphic: Violence, Body horror, and Slavery
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Suicide attempt, Murder, Physical abuse, Child death, Cannibalism, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, and Torture
Minor: Rape, War, Sexual assault, and Sexism
kat1105'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
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Vomit, Violence, Blood, Slavery, Physical abuse, Murder, Child death, War, Sexism, Classism, Confinement, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
kenziewol's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Death, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Confinement, Death of parent, Drug use, and Slavery
Minor: Cursing, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Vomit
_alyssar_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
Graphic: Death, Blood, Slavery, Suicide attempt, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent, Drug use, Murder, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
ninaevan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Meh. Plot could have been interesting but I didn't buy the characters so it was hard to stay attached to. Pretty cringe at times, especially in the attempt at feminism... the main character was supposed to be this badass warrior but she was primarily concerned with her looks and if men were attracted to her- ick. Almost DNF, Not planning on continuing this series. 2/5
Second Read:
Last time I read this was in quarantine when I was looking for books to say something meaningful and help me understand and appreciate the world so of course it fell flat. This time, I was not only more prepared for Maas' writing style because I read her last series, but I was also just looking for something I could listen to in the background as I do school work. In this context, it was a great pick. Still a bit cringe-y, but that's just Maas' style and I was able to laugh it off more this time. In fact, I kind of liked seeing a portrayal of a woman being vain and powerful at the same time... made me question if my reluctance to embrace Celaena is internalized misogyny because I expect strong people to act less girly. That said, I can't give it too much credit for depth overall. It's a nice lighthearted action-mystery story with a touch romantic tension. I plan to keep reading this series.
Graphic: Murder and Violence
Moderate: Gore, Grief, and Slavery
Minor: Abandonment, Blood, Child abuse, Colonisation, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Torture, and Vomit
elisary'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? No
5.0
Moderate: Body horror, Vomit, and Gore
Minor: Genocide and Suicide attempt
fairyelle'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
Anyways, book one was just as impactful to me as before—if not more so. Because it’s a reread I’ve been reading a lot more carefully than I did the first time and highlighting possible multiverse connections. The scene with Chaol telling Celaena to “get up” is always and forever one of my favorite scenes—not just in this series but of all time. It’s a theme we see mirrored in all the books moving forward.
Also there was A LOT of mentioning of “roses” in this book but I don’t have a theory as to why yet or just stating a fact lmao The obvious being its connection Acotar. But it could also be absolutely nothing. Regardless I’ve never seen it mentioned by anyone before and thought I’d throw it out there. I missed this series so much, so glad it’s already just as great as I remember 🥲 and gods know it only gets between from here onwards.
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, Vomit, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Violence, and Slavery
Moderate: Slavery and Torture
Minor: Death, Suicide attempt, Genocide, Child abuse, and Death of parent
midnightmermaid's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Gore, Grief, Murder, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Vomit, and Death of parent
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, and War