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btwnprintedpgs'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
2.0
Ramson was not the hardened criminal mastermind we were promised. He does think through his plans, but, whether it's his age or his original privilege, he is outsmarted by basically everyone he comes across. Some of his plans bear fruits, but he really does go through it, at the end of the day, despite all his planning. I did love how his character was fleshed out through flashbacks, but I couldn't get behind his overall characterization.
The same goes for Ana. She's said to be fierce and a badass, but she loses her battles often too. She doesn't have a good handle on her power and her own limitations (until suddenly at the end). Again, I loved how her story is built up, but there's definitely something missing from her.
It was so interesting seeing the Affinites' different powers. It really helped with the world building and the magic. Again, the slavery and indenturement aspect was so interesting and full of nuance in a way that breaks your heart. Additionally, the rebellion is presented in a way that you want to get behind, but also notes the impact and consequences of over correction. There are a lot of questions of morality, particularly what action goes too far? At what point is the hero a villain?
Lastly, the end was so staged. I hated how dramatic it was cause I thought of the solution immediately and it made me mad that everything was just yelling in a court room. Felt flimsy, though, again, I guess it was the age showing, in that Ana believed yelling crimes out in court would really change the tides. I don't know. This was a miss for me for the most part, but I truly do feel like this will set up the rest of the series well. I'm also curious to see how Amelie's writing improves as I go through her repertoire.
TW: blood, death, injury detail, murder, slavery, imprisonment, kidnapping, racism, drowning, fire/fire injury, death of a parent, branding, child death
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Death of parent, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Kidnapping and Fire/Fire injury
grinchem's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The main character starts out very naive, which can certainly grate on some readers. However, it's reasonable in context given the character's background, and she learns from her mistakes and grows. Neither of the leads were particularly likeable at the beginning, but they were unlikable in a way that's fun to watch, and if you're a person who prefers likable characters, they do grow into that as the story goes along (Ana more quickly than Ramson).
I heard there were concerns about how human trafficking was handled when the novel was first released, but the author pulled the book and made changes. I don't know what the original looked like, but I myself didn't notice any problems in this version. Human trafficking and indentured servitude is prominent in some sections of the story, the characters are appropriately horrified by it, and several characters that have themselves experienced this have their own agency and are not defined by it as characters or for their parts in the story. That said, this is simply my personal perspective, and others may see things that I failed to notice.
Moderate: Child death, Torture, Slavery, and Violence
r1vana's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Violence, Death, Death of parent, and Child death
Moderate: Trafficking
Minor: Drug use
tkhenry99's review
3.25
i kind of liked ramson, kinda didn’t. i thought all the pet names were cringey and didn’t like that part of his characterization. it didn’t really seem to fit him. i wanted more chapters from his POV. he warms up to ana pretty fast for someone who was complicit in human trafficking just 4 months prior to the beginning of the story. literally spends like 3 days with her before he’s a changed man, and most of the time they’re just sniping at each other.
ana was too impulsive and that got annoying fast. i kept wishing she would be more …. ruthless? cutthroat? idk i felt like it was weird that she kept torturing people for no reason and letting them live bc she “couldn’t control her power”. i know it had to do with her whole “i can’t be a monster thing” but these are literal human traffickers?
all the other characters were so insignificant i literally did not care about them at all.
plot is unoriginal, very cliche, and suffers from having too many things going wrong. how are yaegers so rare and yet every time ana is doing something one shows up? of course theres also big scheme by the villains and secret affinites and mind control.
Graphic: Blood, Slavery, Trafficking, and Child death
Moderate: Gore
Minor: Death of parent
reka111'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? It's complicated
4.75
But perhaps all monsters were heroes in their own eyes.
The review contains spoilers!!!
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Ana was a very lovable Morally grey protagonist (she reminded me a bit of Adelina Amouteru from The Young Elites). Maybe I'm the only one and the first one who deeply sympathizes with her (because monsters are just wounded gods and they need love too) and I don't blame her at all for her actions. She was so young, so damn young to handle her power and no one helped her when she silently begged for it, she was simply left in the dark. She lost everything and everyone she loved, so it's no wonder that the only thing she knew for a long time was fear. In fact, there is nothing good or bad about her, she is more complex than that, because she jumps between the two sides and stands where she needs to depending on the moment. Of course she had mistakes (for example, too naive and impulsive) and of course she made bad decisions, but that's exactly what makes her character so real!
Ramson didn't impress me that much at first, but I loved him in the end. Basically, he left me in doubt more than the other characters, because I never really knew when he was being serious and when he wasn't, regardless, I loved his jokes, he made me laugh even when everything seemed so dark. His past is so tragic just like Ana's, he never deserved what happened to him. I loved that he was so mysterious and that he gradually questioned his belief in goodness as we got further into the story. He was so diverse that he simply could not be classified anywhere. And he named his snowhawk after Fisher and this was the moment when I fell in love with him, when I gave him my soul (and this was also the moment when I started to cry, but that's just icing on the cake).
The other characters:
- Linn grew very close to my heart during this short time and I like her very much, and her past is something terribly interesting, I can't wait to get to know her better. I hope she survived (and I'm already sure she did) and I hope she gets back to that guard, because I smell enemies to lovers in the air between them.
- A part of my soul died with Luka, I believed so much that he could survive, so-so much! I hope he found the peace he deserved.
- I haven't gotten to know Yuri enough to decide if I like him or not, but I'm definitely with him.
- May, my little May, was so young and so innocent, she still had her life ahead of her!
I wouldn't really say it was love story, but there was very few of it. Ana and Ramson's relationship is mostly exhausted by teasing, tender moments and mistrust, but they have potential and I'm sure that in the next books they will understand each other and accept each other as they are. They really tried and are trying to care for each other.
I really liked the place itself; a snowy kingdom full of magic and magical creatures based on Russia? I'm here for it! This book was characterized by a superbly constructed magic system and politics, everything was in the right amount. I would very much like to get to know the remote areas as well, because they can certainly be very interesting.
This book was full of twists and hidden messages for the next books. I just loved it, nobody and nothing was what it seemed.
The plot was easy to follow (although there was a bit of flashbacks) and the writing was wonderful. I liked that each character is different and driven by different goals, that they have flaws and that they are so lifelike.
If you want a dark, exciting, magical story with a touch of romance, I recommend you to visit this world!
Graphic: Blood, Death, and Child death
ghostlyprince's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Trafficking, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Blood, Child death, Child abuse, Grief, Hate crime, and Torture
Moderate: Abandonment and Kidnapping
Minor: Sexual violence and Confinement
valenpolack's review against another edition
5.0
The character development, the world building, Ramson, everything wass just... *chef's kiss*
Can't wait to get my hands on the rest of the series.
P.S: Ramson is the newest love of my life and I'm not complaining.
Graphic: Blood and Death
Moderate: Child death, Violence, and Trafficking
Minor: Death of parent and Kidnapping
willow2709'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? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Slavery, and Murder
Moderate: Violence, Trafficking, Slavery, Physical abuse, and Kidnapping
Minor: Gore and Vomit
penofpossibilities's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Graphic: Blood, Trafficking, Violence, Torture, Murder, and Death
Minor: Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, and Vomit
ashlightgrayson's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
There are different kinds of magic in this world called Affinities and those who have these abilities are often trafficked illegally for profit. This aspect of the world is supposed to be analogous to human trafficking in China according to the author (the author is Chinese). Her familiarity with the topic shows through the world-building. I felt like it was reasonably well done.
The main weakness I found in the story was Ana's character development. Her worldview often felt naive and sheltered. She has had a very privileged life and has not been exposed to the corruption present in the empire, but I feel that for her age she should be more self-aware of the political system her family was overseeing. There are women in positions of political power in the story, so her lack of access to this information secondary to her gender isn't really at play here. Her awareness of human trafficking within the empire also makes it harder for me to believe that she is surprised by other forms of corruption within the empire. This wasn't a detail terrible enough to ruin the story for me, but it did suspend my disbelief a bit.
Overall, I feel like this story has a lot of potential to be developed more in the second book. I'm looking forward to seeing the relationship between Ransom and Ana change as their priorities have changed after this first book.
Moderate: Slavery, Trafficking, Child abuse, Torture, Murder, Genocide, and Child death
Minor: Sexual violence