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deeheartsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Slavery, and Violence
ashley_mrose530's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This was such a good book. I thought the world was so interesting and different. It took me a little while to understand the differences between each group of people and I even I had to start the first like half hour of the book over so I could make sure I was getting it all, including the POV shifts, but once I understood it, it was such a good read.
I really liked the world building in this book. The three separate blood types making a caste system was intriguing. I really enjoyed that the book played heavily with the fact that you truly don't know someone's blood color just by looking at them so there were many who were able to pretend to be in one caste over the other and as long as they never got an open wound, they would essentially be able to masquerade for as long as they wanted.
I also liked the idea of the blood magic they hadthough one of my very first questions was why only the red blood people could do it which ended up being one of the big reveals at the end - in actuality, anyone can do it. I figured this would be the case but I still enjoyed the reveal and how it connected in a way to our real-world history of colonization. This book has so many obvious parallels to our current world and political climate and that was no accident. It's amazing how much the author was able to fit in this world to make it so similar to ours but so different at the same time.
I also really liked the portrayal of addiction throughout this book. It was great to see how realistic it was and how Sylah was still dealing with the withdrawal effects even 5 months after quitting cold-turkey. I liked that it wasn't just forgotten about and dropped in the middle like it easily could have been. It was very much routinely brought up and focused on which is a very real issue that addicts deal with. I loved seeing that representation and I hope it continues throughout the series.
Finally, I loved seeing these characters grow throughout this book. Syla goes from being completely hopeless and giving up on herself and the empire, to being inspired and passionate and full of determination to fix the systemic issues within their country and helping the ones who are being oppressed. And Anoor goes from being a very naive and kind of spoiled rich girl to having her eyes opened to how other people are being treated in the government that she was benefitting from and being determined to change it and help them. I hope they both continue to grow and find their own power as the series progresses.
I can't wait to finish reading this series. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that my library doesn't have the other two books so I don't currently have access to the rest of the series. It might be a while before I can finish it.
I really liked the world building in this book. The three separate blood types making a caste system was intriguing. I really enjoyed that the book played heavily with the fact that you truly don't know someone's blood color just by looking at them so there were many who were able to pretend to be in one caste over the other and as long as they never got an open wound, they would essentially be able to masquerade for as long as they wanted.
I also liked the idea of the blood magic they had
I also really liked the portrayal of addiction throughout this book. It was great to see how realistic it was and how Sylah was still dealing with the withdrawal effects even 5 months after quitting cold-turkey. I liked that it wasn't just forgotten about and dropped in the middle like it easily could have been. It was very much routinely brought up and focused on which is a very real issue that addicts deal with. I loved seeing that representation and I hope it continues throughout the series.
Finally, I loved seeing these characters grow throughout this book. Syla goes from being completely hopeless and giving up on herself and the empire, to being inspired and passionate and full of determination to fix the systemic issues within their country and helping the ones who are being oppressed. And Anoor goes from being a very naive and kind of spoiled rich girl to having her eyes opened to how other people are being treated in the government that she was benefitting from and being determined to change it and help them. I hope they both continue to grow and find their own power as the series progresses.
I can't wait to finish reading this series. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that my library doesn't have the other two books so I don't currently have access to the rest of the series. It might be a while before I can finish it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Suicide attempt, Colonisation, and Classism
avocadosocks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Sexual content, Torture, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Child death, Confinement, Fatphobia, and Excrement
meg_lowde's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This definitely gives debut vibes and unfortunately I liked it less and less upon each reread. The writing style didn't quite click for me, and the pacing varied quite a bit, sometimes dragging and sometimes feeling rushed.
Sylah and Anoor's relationship developed too quickly for my liking and lacked depth. Add in Sylah's relationship with Jond and things get messy - it's difficult to believe that she's developing deep romantic feelings for Anoor when she is actively sleeping with him for the majority of the novel and has feelings tied up there. Yes, polyamory is a thing but it never felt like it was going that way and wasn't something I was a huge fan of.
Then there's how Anoor and Sylah meet and the way Anoor treats Sylah which sours things further for me. She seems a little naive with how she expects Sylah to act given she essentially forces her to work for her and comes across as more manipulative then might originally seem, so it feels odd that Sylah develops such apparently strong feelings for her.
Hassa seems more of an afterthought to expand the world and provide an excuse for Sylah and Anoor to be separated in the next book, and that whole ending felt incredibly rushed.
This definitely had promise - the world it proposes is quite interesting and I am curious about the tide winds and the world building. Sadly the characters and their relationships, alongside the writing style, aren't completely working for me alongside that, hampering my overall enjoyment.
Sylah and Anoor's relationship developed too quickly for my liking and lacked depth. Add in Sylah's relationship with Jond and things get messy - it's difficult to believe that she's developing deep romantic feelings for Anoor when she is actively sleeping with him for the majority of the novel and has feelings tied up there. Yes, polyamory is a thing but it never felt like it was going that way and wasn't something I was a huge fan of.
Then there's how Anoor and Sylah meet and the way Anoor treats Sylah which sours things further for me. She seems a little naive with how she expects Sylah to act given she essentially forces her to work for her and comes across as more manipulative then might originally seem, so it feels odd that Sylah develops such apparently strong feelings for her.
Hassa seems more of an afterthought to expand the world and provide an excuse for Sylah and Anoor to be separated in the next book, and that whole ending felt incredibly rushed.
This definitely had promise - the world it proposes is quite interesting and I am curious about the tide winds and the world building. Sadly the characters and their relationships, alongside the writing style, aren't completely working for me alongside that, hampering my overall enjoyment.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Violence
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Physical abuse
Minor: Fatphobia
nixoneshoe's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, and Gore
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Slavery, Violence, Blood, and Classism
Minor: Child death, Fatphobia, and Suicide attempt
sillevanhoof's review
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
6/10
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, and Classism
Moderate: Fatphobia and Abandonment
elaineh7's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
mysterious
fast-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? It's complicated
4.75
This was so good. So fast paced with such an interesting and intriguing world.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, and Drug use
ashleykhoffman's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
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
4.25
I thought this book was great! I wish there had been a little less implied relationship building and a little more described relationship building, but otherwise I found the characters really likeable, especially Anoor. I did not see that final twist coming, and it really got me excited to read book 2!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Drug abuse, and Classism
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Death of parent
isopod_lover's review against another edition
fast-paced
- 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
I adore this book. I have to wait 10 weeks for the next book because my library only has one copy
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Alcohol, and Classism
sangsmiles's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Slavery, Torture, Violence, and Colonisation