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bzliz's review against another edition
dark
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
3.75
Big note right up top: mind the trigger warnings! This is a brutal world and there is little reprieve from accepted (and encouraged) behaviors that many readers may find seriously triggering.
Laia’s brother Darin has been keeping secrets, including a sketchbook filled with things he shouldn’t have seen, and soldiers are coming for him. A Mask is also after the book which spells danger for the family; Masks are skilled hunters and killers who live life without emotions to stop them from their brutal tasks. Their grandparents become collateral damage and Darin is taken, giving Laia the chance to run. She does the only thing she can: tries to find the Resistance. She does and when they refuse to help her she is forced to reveal that her parents were their revered former leaders. She cuts a deal- the Resistance will help rescue Darin if she goes undercover as a slave to the Commandant in Blackcliff- the military Mask training school.
Inside the school, Elias is planning to desert even though he knows his capture would be his death. He’s convinced not to go by an Augur, who foretells that he will only find freedom by remaining and following the path ahead. He embarks on the Trials- a prophecied event to select a new emperor when the old line falls.
Laia starts with little confidence, convinced her cowardice condemned her brother. She also tends to see things in black and white: the Resistance is good and everyone at Blackcliff is the worst kind of bad. She comes to learn there’s exceptions to every rule and I loved her journey. Elias is a highly trained killer who is ready to give it all up for a chance at freedom. His journey teaches him what humanity still lives inside him despite his mother’s best efforts.
This was hard for me to get into but once I was halfway, it flew by. The sheer amount of violence and threats of sexual violence were almost overwhelming. There were a few points I was frustrated that information wasn’t being shared between Laia and Elias but she wasn’t in a place to trust yet and I don’t know what he would have done with the information.
Now that I’ve made an investment in the world, I’m looking forward to the next book and their continued growth.
Laia’s brother Darin has been keeping secrets, including a sketchbook filled with things he shouldn’t have seen, and soldiers are coming for him. A Mask is also after the book which spells danger for the family; Masks are skilled hunters and killers who live life without emotions to stop them from their brutal tasks. Their grandparents become collateral damage and Darin is taken, giving Laia the chance to run. She does the only thing she can: tries to find the Resistance. She does and when they refuse to help her she is forced to reveal that her parents were their revered former leaders. She cuts a deal- the Resistance will help rescue Darin if she goes undercover as a slave to the Commandant in Blackcliff- the military Mask training school.
Inside the school, Elias is planning to desert even though he knows his capture would be his death. He’s convinced not to go by an Augur, who foretells that he will only find freedom by remaining and following the path ahead. He embarks on the Trials- a prophecied event to select a new emperor when the old line falls.
Laia starts with little confidence, convinced her cowardice condemned her brother. She also tends to see things in black and white: the Resistance is good and everyone at Blackcliff is the worst kind of bad. She comes to learn there’s exceptions to every rule and I loved her journey. Elias is a highly trained killer who is ready to give it all up for a chance at freedom. His journey teaches him what humanity still lives inside him despite his mother’s best efforts.
This was hard for me to get into but once I was halfway, it flew by. The sheer amount of violence and threats of sexual violence were almost overwhelming. There were a few points I was frustrated that information wasn’t being shared between Laia and Elias but she wasn’t in a place to trust yet and I don’t know what he would have done with the information.
Now that I’ve made an investment in the world, I’m looking forward to the next book and their continued growth.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gun violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Rape, Injury/Injury detail, and Slavery
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