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talonsontypewriters's review
- 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
3.0
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Ableism, Child death, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Fatphobia, Rape, Vomit, and Pandemic/Epidemic
chainingbooks'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
I felt that this was a wonderfully diverse fantasy that doesn't hold back any punches. I was truly impressed at how the author was able to balance three strong female leads, especially when they didn't go the route as setting up chapters as different POVs. While it felt like a majority of the story is told from Sylah's perspective, the characters she interacts with all feel so strong in their own rights.
I thoroughly enjoyed following Sylah as she works to find herself again. She was raised with a large legacy on her shoulders and does end up losing her way. When she gets the renewed energy to take on the empire, I was rooting for her even if I didn't agree with her choices. Her journey shows us that you can find allies in unexpected places, what we know of the world may not be the full truth, and what motivates us may change but if a cause is great enough it is worth fighting for.
Anoor was a character I didn't know that I would come to love. Once I did though, she became the character I wanted to protect more than any of the others (even though she totally doesn't need it!). The arc she follows felt like a true underdog's tale and I couldn't get enough of it. I especially appreciated how her character was able to be open-minded and learn from meeting people from different walks of life than her own.
Last, but DEFINITELY not least, there's Hassa. Hassa is a character I would absolutely trust with my life. In the beginning I thought they were just the reliable friend but as Hassa's role was revealed I was excited each time they came up in the story. It got to the point where I was on the edge of my seat, waiting for the next big lore reveal from them. There's not much I feel like I can say about their character without spoilers, but I will just say that they are a total badass who is smarter than I will ever hope to be.
While I'm bad at continuing a trilogy, the lore reveals right at the end of this have me wanting to dive right back in. I'll gladly talk with anyone that wants to scream and shout about the last 50 or so pages LOL.
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug use, and Racism
Moderate: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Slavery, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Fatphobia and Kidnapping
fanboyriot'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
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Genocide, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Police brutality, Kidnapping, and Gaslighting
avocadosocks'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
4.25
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
- 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
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.
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Violence
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Physical abuse
Minor: Fatphobia
nixoneshoe'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? Yes
4.0
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
- 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
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
ashleykhoffman'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
4.25
Graphic: Child abuse, Drug abuse, and Classism
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Death of parent
isopod_lover'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
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
aiirglow'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: Addiction, Drug abuse, Violence, Blood, and Classism
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Sexual content
Minor: Death, Fatphobia, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit