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Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, War
Moderate: Slavery, Torture
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Murder, War
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Deadnaming, Domestic abuse, Dementia, Death of parent
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Violence, Kidnapping
Moderate: Torture, Blood, Classism
Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery
Gabriel’s ’ storyline was awesome and I love him. Lot and Nadir????? OBSESSED.
Moderate: Violence, Gaslighting
Minor: Sexual violence
A character list is given to us at the beginning of the book, which I really appreciate, because it shared big moments for each of the characters in the past two books. Essentially, this acted as a "previously on...." segment for me, refreshing my memory of the important things that happened before, and I needed that so thank you Nisha!
Tidbits about this third installment of the series:
- Lor learns significant context about her ancestry & family history
- reads sort of as a filler episode but provides helpful information that I'm sure will be needed later on in the series
- Nisha J. Tuli's writing continues to be goofy and unserious, and I love it
- we get more POVs, like Gabriel
- cliffhanger that has you saying, 'what the actual f***?!'
- steam rating: 4 out of 5
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Violence
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Blood, Kidnapping
The other big flaw was the near constant back and forth between Nadir and Lor after about the 50% mark where they reiterate mutual love and trust before making out in public or having sex. I’ll give a pass to the first spicy scene because it symbolizes that establishment of trust and that the tension finally has an outlet but the scenes after really didn’t add anything and could have been omitted in favor of making more of the convoluted lore make sense. Another thing that bothered me was that Tulli can’t seem to commit when it comes to anyone’s background of trauma and abuse unless it’s sexual abuse. She makes allusions to serious past torture and secrets that characters are still holding deeply within themselves but won’t let them heal from any of it with the exception of Lor’s sexual abuse within the prison.
I’m not convinced Tulli fully thought through the implications of some of the world she built. There’s a scene where two characters discuss serious topics while receiving blow jobs, after which the women fetch them drinks and it’s all treated like it’s normal. Do those women want to be there? Are they happy with this profession? Why are these two men comfortable discussing sensitive matters while involved in this sex act? Are the women compelled to silence due to their profession? Is that not a form of slavery? One of these men is in essence a salve himself so why is he so cavalier about this act? The more I think about this scene, the more it annoys me because I don’t think the author considered any of these things. I think she just wanted to cram as much spice as possible into this book, as is evidenced by this scene and countless other thoughts of sexual acts characters have at wildly inappropriate times.
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Kidnapping
Minor: Confinement, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Toxic friendship, Classism
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Violence
Moderate: Rape, Torture, Blood
Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, War
Lor must navigate shifting politics and dangerous truths as she tries to restore her magic. She fights mental, physical, and emotional battles as she learns more about the world around her. I have to say, this was the most I’ve enjoyed the characters in this story as I feel like all of the characters have finally found their stride. The story was fast paced and filled to the brim with events.
The only reason this is not a 5 star read is because I wish there were a few more quiet moments and time with the siblings to flesh them out further. This is a personal preference to an overall enjoyable read. Can’t wait for the final installment!
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual violence