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folkofthebook'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? It's complicated
3.75
“We live in a topsy-turvy world, Alta Renata, where the criminals are honest, and it’s the upright folk you have to be wary of.”
this is a high fantasy that makes its readers work. the worldbuilding is in details and it's up to you to piece it together and figure it out; nothing is spelled out. names and places (and some titles) are in an original language crafted by the writers, so there is a lot to process while reading. it's long and dense, with slow pacing and lengthy descriptions to provide setting as well as background information at many turns.
i've heard this comped as an adult six of crows, which i could potentially see as well as peaky blinders, but as i haven't read or watched either i can't confirm beyond aesthetics.
if you are ok with a book that slows you down to process, this will be the read for you. personally, it was a bit difficult for me to adjust to in the beginning, but once i got to know the main characters better and became familiar with the setting and names i was hooked.
“Fine, then,” she whispered softly. “This is your game? Let’s play.”
unfortunately bc of the length and dense writing, it is a bit sluggish overall. i really enjoyed ren's character and vargo as well. i thought the concept of the cards and some of the magic system and lore were interesting and unique. there was a lot of queer rep and it was very much a norm in this world. the con was exciting and i enjoyed some of the political intrigue, but i do feel the book could have been tightened up. i also was disappointed in the fate of one character and the reveal of the rook.
things that would have additionally helped my reading experience: character art and family lines. i didn't realize until i finished the book that there was a dramatis personae at the end (it was not on the author's website, which does have a pronunciation guide and a few other helpful extras). there's also no character art anywhere, including commissioned by the authors. there's so little description about characters besides their clothing that i really don't have much of an idea what anyone looks like AND there's many characters to keep track of. i think anyone who writes fantasy should also do the basics: a map, main character art (at least 1 commission), and family trees for extensive casts.
i feel invested enough to continue to book 2, but i'm going to read a few other books first. the trilogy overall was raved about by a reviewer i like, so i would like to see it through for myself.
“We don’t kill,” the Rook whispered to the oblivious city. “But we can destroy.”
Graphic: Death, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug use and Grief
Minor: Alcohol, Death of parent, Child death, and Vomit
dragonflight'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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Racial slurs, Classism, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Colonisation, Death, Drug use, Blood, Violence, and Death of parent
Minor: Slavery, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Mental illness, Pandemic/Epidemic, Vomit, Cursing, Sexual content, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Kidnapping, Police brutality, Rape, Sexual assault, and Violence
wlreed312's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Moderate: Child abuse, Drug use, and Death
Minor: Death of parent and Police brutality
weareinheritors'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? Yes
4.0
I'm really excited to see how the threads that were spun in the final 10% of the book are addressed in the sequel.
Graphic: Classism, Blood, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Drug use, and Violence
Moderate: Stalking, Alcohol, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, and Trafficking
Minor: Incest, Rape, and Cannibalism
chalkletters'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? No
4.25
Moderate: Child death, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Murder, and Racism
Minor: Deportation, Drug use, and Injury/Injury detail
soniajoy98'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? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Classism, Colonisation, Death, Grief, Violence, Cursing, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Death of parent, and Drug use
Moderate: Animal death, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Racism, Child death, Gore, and Murder
Minor: Kidnapping, Rape, Sexism, Police brutality, Slavery, Confinement, and Fire/Fire injury
strange_little_ranger'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? No
4.0
Minor: Addiction, Alcohol, Medical content, Physical abuse, Animal death, Blood, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Drug use, Toxic friendship, Violence, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Police brutality, Kidnapping, and Murder
18soft_green'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? It's complicated
4.75
The writing itself is consistent, practical, funny, and rhythmic. It’s very rare that I read/find a book where the writing style is so well done that it’s flow offers yet another layer of information about the story and characters. I loved how the authors know the characters so well that while the style of writing stayed the same, the tone of the story would change depending on whose POV it was.
The world the story is set in is enchanting and complex but not in a confusing way. It has rules that make sense. I loved that we never stopped learning about the magic system and cultures of the world. I liked the creepiness of the monsters and the streets, the way the grossness was handled.
The characters, oh my god, the characters are so peoplie!! Vargo has my heart, I love his narrative so much! I have so many questions about who he is, what his story is, what he REALLY wants. He’s so good at hiding even from himself! And who the fuck is that guy in his head?! I love Ren! I wasn’t expecting to love her so much. She has a lot of growing to do and I love how we can see, even through the trauma, that she has child-like notions. I love how her loyalty is above all to her siblings. I love how even though her attachment to them is clearly a trauma bond it’s love as well. And not smothering toxic love, but love for who they are as people. I love that that love is returned. And the familiarity they have with each other that is so sibling-like. It reminds me actually of my own relationships with my siblings. We have the shared trauma but we chose to have each other in our lives still and our link to each other is because we care for one another and know each other. Tess, Sedge, and Ren love each other deeply and their attachment to one another is consistent and pure. They lean on each other hard and it hurts and strains them but they still love and hold fast to one another. I love that we got to know Tess and Sedge instead of just having to assume that they were worth something because Ren said so or because they had some nice dialogue with Ren. I like Donaia but I don’t like Guina. And Leato, my heart. I thought he might end up wrong and weird but no. He is so sweet! I’m torn about Grey. I hate the police so fucking much and this bitch is out here saying they actually care about people?! Absolutely not. Nope. You can’t,, and the Rook?! The authors are going to have to explain a lot in the sequel because though I expected that reveal it makes NO SENSE!
I loved the villain too. I don’t like the message of nonviolence the authors tried to send at the end. They brushed over a lot of nuance to send that message and also,, like honeys, you’re two white women, is this your place to say?
I also dislike how few MCs are actually queer. And how limited the gender systems are. They gave us, like, five MCs and only ONE(1) is queer? And they’re pretending that’s enough? And they also coded him as a villain?! That ice is pretty slippery for them to marching so confidently. And Guina doesn’t count, she almost never got a real POV and she is such a limp character rn. I don’t like her. And then after her ALL the queer characters are suspicious.
4.75/5 stars. I’d recommend this book to anyone that likes fantasy or adventure stories.
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Colonisation, Body horror, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Classism, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Suicide attempt, and Gore
Moderate: Addiction, Child death, Classism, Cursing, Drug abuse, Police brutality, Racism, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Abandonment, Blood, Vomit, Animal cruelty, Genocide, Grief, Kidnapping, Mental illness, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Chronic illness, Deportation, Rape, Sexual assault, Genocide, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Slavery, Xenophobia, and Medical content
spacewhombus'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? It's complicated
5.0
And that’s because the world building was incredibleeeee, like it started off a bit slow but the story kept building layers upon layers and really drew me in very quickly without being overwhelming, despite the complex religious systems and magic. Although the whole story takes place in one city, Nadežra, there was such a rich variety of neighborhoods and groups of people there that it felt much bigger than that!
The main characters came from both the privileged nobility and the struggling indigenous population, and this book explored a lot of the effects of colonialism and wealth, and the blurred lines between good vs. evil and doing things for others vs. doing them for yourself.
Ren was my favorite, she was so creative and smart and I loved reading about her relationship with her siblings, as well as trying to figure out how she would handle all the twists and turns her character was thrown. Vargo was another favorite character of mine, and I won’t spoil anything but let’s just say I am DYING to learn more about what’s going on with him in the next book! The authors wrote this whole society as very LGBTQ+ friendly as well, and there are queer characters all over the place without that being the only facet of their identity.
There were many smaller side plots alongside the main storyline, and quite a few mysteries as well- my heart STOPPED when I got to the last chapter because of the reveal of the Rook, omg. Again no spoilers but I did not see that coming! The authors are great at keeping your interest while slowly unraveling the overall mystery and pulling the loose ends together into one larger storyline.
If you like books with a lot of political intrigue and drama, you would love this! There was so much going on, it never got boring.
Moderate: Violence and Colonisation
Minor: Drug use
ariel790'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? It's complicated
3.25
The story had plenty of mystery and adventure to keep me reading. However, there were many places it fell short. Moments that were rushed through that if the author(s) had taken more time to describe, it would have elevated it to another level. As I read, I wanted it elevated to be able to immerse myself into the story without needing to guess and fill in the blanks, but that never really happened. Don't get me wrong, details are given, but more so on world building by describing location with emphasize given on the story's tarot card/astrology equivalent. Where I felt it lacked, was often during the action - how that made a character feel, or what they were motivated by in the moment. Other places, importance was given on the differences in the cultures or races, but this difference was never really explained, only glossed over. Some of the minor characters were not described at all beyond their name. Some things just existed without a how or why given. Often times, this left me with more questions than answers.
The main issues were resolved, with some mystery opened up for the sequel - and because there is sequel with further chance for the author to delve more into the world and explain the intricacies where I felt it lacked, I'd say at least worth a read, if you have the time. Wouldn't suggest it as a top priority though.
Moderate: Child abuse, Death of parent, and Drug use
Minor: Racism, Slavery, and Violence