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s1ck4n's review against another edition
Moderate: Murder, Kidnapping, Torture, and Violence
Minor: War
eli_deatherage's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Gore, Racism, Self harm, Torture, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Murder, Violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Gaslighting, Grief, Hate crime, Child abuse, Classism, Drug use, Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Slavery, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts
bookmothmav's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
2.5
Second read 4/2/24-4/4/24: 2.5 stars
Moderate: Self harm, Torture, Death, and Murder
lovepixity's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death of parent and Chronic illness
Moderate: Self harm, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, and Grief
Minor: Suicide
erebus53's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
People are spread throughout the galaxy and there is a shining glowy plasma trail thing in space that changes colour and is somehow linked to some augmentative gifts that the people acquire as they come of age. These gifts seem to be a honing of internal predispositions and are adaptive to each person, often in response to a meaningful event in their lives. In traumatic situations sometimes these gifts awaken early to protect those who are in trouble. The two main characters have strange gifts, one who feels chronic pain and inflicts it on others by touch, and one who stops the flow of the Current that bestows the gifts, stopping a persons powers while he is in contact with them.
The world building in this is pretty cool but I think the story telling falls a little flat. I am a proponent of good prophesy stories (I've said this often) and this story is pinned on certain players who are "Fated" to do certain things. The prophets have an ability to see into the multiplicity of futures, and those Fated are the ones who seem to turn out always at the same point, no matter what path is taken. It does baffle me however that the main antagonist wants to fly in the face of his fate, demonstrating a willingness to believe that such fates can be averted, and yet, he basically sets up his sister to have plenty of opportunity to lean into hers, despite it not being in his best interest.. why would you write a story like that? If you are worried about your sister Defecting, why would you buddy her up with a refugee-slave from the other side? This characters is supposed to be wily and not shortsighted.
Blah fights.. my other Thing is not liking fights, and there are too many. Too much bodily defacement, and even in the horrific violence, not enough realism for me to even engage with it. It's a bit sad.
CW: there is a lot of stimulant use, poisoning, and things so if that's not your bag, then read something else.
I like some of the twisty plots, oppression and resistance, but some of the race memory of language, secret genealogy, blood lines, just feels a bit too magicky.. this semi-magical semi-scifi .. it doesn't really cohere for me. When I think about it that's a little weird because I liked the bloodlines and inheritance stuff in Legendborn, but this left me cold.
Lots of focus on killing, grief, and cutting tattoos into flesh to remember loss.. just feels a bit.. emo.
Graphic: Violence, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Torture, Terminal illness, Suicide, Slavery, Self harm, Racism, Drug use, Death, Physical abuse, Murder, Kidnapping, Grief, Forced institutionalization, Abandonment, Drug abuse, Deportation, Death of parent, and War
cadybooks'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: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Drug abuse, and Grief
Moderate: Violence, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Murder, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Gaslighting
Minor: Medical content, Classism, Colonisation, Blood, Alcohol, Body horror, Child abuse, Self harm, and Gore
twilightfanboy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Overall i wouldn't say it's a bad book just got a bit boring at times and felt a bit slow.
Also possible spoiler but not really <in the description of the book they say that they are enemies and somewhere in the book say akos and cyra hate each other but there were never any signs of that and I never felt like they were enemies or hate each other which didnt bother i just found it weird that they said they were enemies and wrote they hate each other when they very much did not?>
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Self harm
Moderate: Torture
Minor: Kidnapping
mac_hayter's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Torture
rainbow10's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Torture
mailuss's review against another edition
Graphic: Blood and Torture
Moderate: Xenophobia