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bethann_coleates'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
4.75
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Violence, Alcoholism, Racism, War, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Rape, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Classism, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Murder
booklifeisthelife'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
3.5
Moderate: Violence and Physical abuse
Minor: Racial slurs, Racism, and Rape
cutevamp's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Religious bigotry and Racism
mallorypen'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
4.0
I also like how evil was not black and white. The tsar was entirely misunderstood, and his petulance, arrogance and cruelty were all born of despair and a literal lifetime of abuse - while I don’t think I found him entirely sympathetic at the end, I did enjoy the way Irina’s cleverness (refusing any payment but protection for herself and her people) saved him in the end. And the Staryk king was actually a super good and noble dude … by the standards of his people, not mortals. His transition from thinking he was condemning himself to an awful marriage to courting his wife was delightful, and I loved that we never learned his name.
I also enjoyed that Miryem’s name from her Staryk people was Open-Handed, and that her sense of generosity and fairness were so solid she was able to build back a kingdom with not only her powers, but her brains.
I took off a star for two reasons: the story took awhile to get really interesting, and the transitions in perspective were a little hard to decipher. The characters didn’t all have unique-enough voices to really know who was narrating right away, and trying to figure out which storyline I was in took me out of the story.
Moderate: Violence, Racism, Murder, and Child abuse
Minor: Rape, Death of parent, and Sexual assault
siobhan74's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
It’s a sort of retelling of Rumplestilskin without a Rumplestilskin. Or at least without a character with a direct Rumplestilskin correlation. That story begins with a father bragging about his daughter that she can spin straw into gold. Our primary heroine — because there are three stories here — is a young Jewish girl in the time when Christians were not allowed to lend money with interest so all moneylenders in Europe were Jewish (this little fact is a monumentally important part of history. European Jews lent to kings and financed wars and palaces, and religion was only the excuse used to chase the Jews out of any given country). She brags that she can turn silver into gold.
The wiring is incredible, the characters ARE complicated, the plot moves quite quickly. Nothing but wonderment here.
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Bullying, Antisemitism, Sexism, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, and Racism
rockyroadbutch'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
5.0
Graphic: Physical abuse, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, Racism, Death of parent, Violence, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Alcoholism, Miscarriage, Sexism, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Animal cruelty
readandfindout's review against another edition
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.0
Themes: 4 stars
Characters: 4 stars
Plot: 3.5 stars
Worldbuilding: 4 stars
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Death, Religious bigotry, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Antisemitism, Alcoholism, Child death, Death of parent, Body horror, Violence, Sexism, Grief, Confinement, Racism, Torture, and Blood
Minor: Animal death and Miscarriage
mdegraffe'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
4.5
Minor: Racism and Physical abuse
leadabird's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Moderate: Xenophobia, Violence, Alcoholism, Child abuse, and Racism
kathytwitch's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This twist on Rumplestiltskin also has a Slavic slant, accented by a narrator with a Russian-type accent. Told in several voices, this story brings three young women together in a way that allows them to each triumph over their separate trials.
Moderate: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, and Violence
Minor: Alcoholism, Child death, Sexual content, and Torture