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rieviolet's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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
Whay can I say? I am very invested in the story and its characters so I was really excited when I saw that my library had finally gotten a copy and I borrowed it straight away.
This book (and in general all of Natasha Pulley's books) is quite plotty, to put it simply a lot happens and keeps happening, and also the great majority of it is not exactly light stuff, quite the contrary. Still, the story is very intriguing and pulls you along, and it can also be quite funny at times.
Anyway, I think that the plot is very well balanced by a great cast of characters. They are very well-drawn (even the secondary ones) and they are explored in all of their complexities. Also, I think that the descriptions are really well-done, they manage to depict the setting and its atmosphere really well but they are not too long and overdone, they flow nicely.
I know that this book is not perfect (for example I'm a bit sad about the storyline of some of the female characters) but I just love it a lot. It has been a long time since I had such a fun, absorbing and also heartbreaking reading experience. It has a very special place in my heart.
This book (and in general all of Natasha Pulley's books) is quite plotty, to put it simply a lot happens and keeps happening, and also the great majority of it is not exactly light stuff, quite the contrary. Still, the story is very intriguing and pulls you along, and it can also be quite funny at times.
Anyway, I think that the plot is very well balanced by a great cast of characters. They are very well-drawn (even the secondary ones) and they are explored in all of their complexities. Also, I think that the descriptions are really well-done, they manage to depict the setting and its atmosphere really well but they are not too long and overdone, they flow nicely.
I know that this book is not perfect (for example I'm a bit sad about the storyline of some of the female characters) but I just love it a lot. It has been a long time since I had such a fun, absorbing and also heartbreaking reading experience. It has a very special place in my heart.
Graphic: Homophobia, Murder, Death, War, Colonisation, Violence, Animal death, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Xenophobia, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Classism, Racism, Police brutality, Blood, Self harm, Chronic illness, and Misogyny
Minor: Torture, Sexual harassment, Rape, Domestic abuse, and Child abuse
panflutes's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- 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
4.0
i definitely enjoyed this one more than the first. the characters all felt much more fleshed out, and i found takiko to be a much better female lead than grace. it does still have a vague feeling plot, which i imagine is what everyone in the novel feels like when dealing with mori--you know something is going to happen, you just have to wait and see.
the chief mystery behind just why mori is doing everything that he is was also disappointingly easy to figure out very early in, and that took a lot away from my ability to enjoy the ending--especially in regard to takiko's death. the second i saw the line about an electron microscope, i said to myself "surely he isn't going to start an international incident to cure thaniel's tuberculosis," and yet here we are.
Graphic: Animal death and Death
Moderate: Racism and Xenophobia
Minor: Homophobia
ok7a's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Terminal illness
Minor: Child abuse, Colonisation, and Xenophobia
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