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chaptermaggot's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Child abuse, War, and Xenophobia
Minor: Child death, Sexism, Sexual content, Confinement, Death, Alcohol, Cursing, Excrement, Suicide, Violence, and Blood
themoodreader'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? No
4.0
Moderate: Violence, Death, Sexual content, Murder, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Cursing, Gore, Medical content, Violence, Alcoholism, Murder, Sexual content, Death, Death of parent, Deportation, Vomit, and War
hiddeninfantasy's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Abandonment, Alcohol, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Genocide, War, Gore, Kidnapping, Murder, Sexual content, and Violence
deardarlingreader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Sexual content, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: War, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Murder and Cursing
ka_ke's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Murder and War
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Minor: Vomit
khloereads86'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: Cursing, Sexual content, War, Death, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Torture, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Vomit
Minor: Gore and Blood
rmarcher's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
For a year or two I've been wanting to find books that portray arranged marriage well, i.e. that show the couple in an arranged marriage making the marriage work instead of trying to avoid it at all costs. So when I read the description for this book, I was thrilled. It wasn't quite a normal situation for an arranged marriage, but just the fact that they weren't trying to get out of the arrangement was a great start.
And then the book hooked me with its worldbuilding and action, drawing me in immediately with its twists and turns and the richness of the setting. I love deep worldbuilding that's integral to the plot, and this book wholly delivered on that front. The world is rich and deep, and it has impact on the characters and the characters impact it in turn. It's also richly described; description is definitely one of Jensen's strong points. Which is a two-edged sword in this book, given how much she decides to describe of the sexual tension and sexual interaction between the main characters. I skipped multiple portions.
The characters are also interesting, with firm values (some positive, some negative) and believable relationships. They all have notable characteristics that cause them to stand out, and most were enjoyable to read about. (Nana was not. Grandmothers oughtn't be so despicable.) Most of them cursed and made crude jokes and comments in excess, which is my other issue with the content of this book. (I am frustrated that I found this book in the YA section, since it would be R-rated by film standards, but that's a matter to take up with the bookstore that shelved it. NA should arguably be placed in the adult section rather than the YA section, at least nine times out of ten. But anyway.)
Overall, I enjoyed the bulk of this book. It was certainly well-written (aside from the excess of language) and I'm pleased to see an indie book that was so well-edited and well-formatted that I would have assumed it was traditionally published. But ultimately my enjoyment was dampened way too many times by the levels of adult content and I wouldn't be able to comfortably recommend this book to almost anyone I know.
Graphic: Sexual content, Cursing, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual assault and Vomit
raeraesbooks's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: War, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Alcohol, Blood, Cursing, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
fool_ofabook's review
- 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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Violence, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Murder, Gore, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Death, Cursing, Child abuse, and Bullying