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praaliine'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
<16 hours after>
it was a tragedy unlike anything i’ve ever read, and there were times when the story was just so overwhelmingly depressing. i actually read over the final chapter again after work and i wept even harder.
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Alcohol
grapestakes's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Drug use, Genocide, Mental illness, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
thienly's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Racism, Torture, Trafficking, Religious bigotry, and Colonisation
Minor: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Cannibalism, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Classism
rudireads'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Dysphoria, War, and Classism
Moderate: Animal death
Just…..Wowephemeralzen'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: Addiction, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
pages_with_panda'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
She’s the newly appointed leader of the Cike, struggling with being a replacement to Altan as she vows vengeance against the Empress. In comes Yin Vaisra, the Dragon Warlord, who promises Rin her chance at revenge if she serves him in a war towards Democracy.
In the following war, we’re reintroduced to Nezha, Kitay, Venka, and even Chagin. The threat of Hesperians is closer than ever and we get to hear their philosophies from their own mouths as an evil race from the West.
We get to travel across Nikan in more details as the civil war erupts across the entire country. Rin plays her part but continues to be easily manipulated. Her journey in this book is breaking free from anyone who would command her and her finding the strength to make her own decisions and choices. I loved that the final chapter held her accountable to herself. She made the choices at the end. It was all her!
This book was full of returning to roots; of circles. Rin returns to Tikany, she returns to her people after trying to distance herself from them while in Sinesgard. She sees her foster family again, we revisit the history of the Trifecta from a new perspective. We visit old friends and old enemies.
Everything in the book reminded us that history comes full circle.
Some nitpicking about the books: because of how much traveling we do and how important the geography of the land is, I wish we could’ve gotten more detail maps.
I loved the series as a whole but this book may have been my favorite. A tragically beautiful story from start to finish.
Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Racism, Violence, Blood, Medical trauma, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, and Cannibalism
violetlunablossom'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
On one hand, I loved seeing Rin quickly realize how hard it is to appease a mass of deeply traumatized people who want vengeance against the people who brutalized them, just as she did. On the other, I thought the decision to have her train a new group of shamans for her growing army was a poor plotline that really didn't need to happen. I loved Jiang's return and Rin's reckoning with the fact that he's not the master she knew and love, but I'm also extremely disappointed that the juicy potential of the Trifecta was just wasted and discarded within a single chapter. I believe the ending to be a perfect finale to such a beautiful and impactful trilogy while also being annoyed that everything that happened in the final pages felt more like a summary than a proper send off to three of its main characters.
Overall, I love this trilogy. The themes of colonization, classism, and grief hit home for me and I see myself in so many of these characters, in both their struggles and their small victories. I feel so grateful that such a wonderful series exists in a publishing industry that doesn't prioritize stories like this. I'll be buying up all the special editions that I can and singing R.F Kuang's praises from my rooftop. Can't wait to read Babel :)
Graphic: Death, Racism, Torture, Violence, Colonisation, and Classism
Moderate: Cannibalism and Religious bigotry
taroroot'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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
csmall73'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: Child death, Death, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Vomit, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
fractalonyx'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Racism and War
Moderate: Drug use
Minor: Vomit