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alexijai98'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? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
amre23'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
4.5
The Dual POVs made the story progress faster. Was nice to see when the 2 main characters weren't interacting how their actions and inactions impacted each other.
At times could truly feel her worry and anxiety through the pages.
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Grief, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and War
Minor: Self harm, Medical content, Abortion, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
yasmin96'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
4.75
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Rape, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
jordosba's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Moderate: Slavery and Violence
Minor: Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Rape, Blood, and Death of parent
sahramahtab'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: Child death, Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Rape, Grief, and Abandonment
theintrovertsbooks'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
4.5
Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Police brutality, Grief, Abortion, Murder, Colonisation, and War
Minor: Cursing, Trafficking, Kidnapping, and Pregnancy
bree_h_reads's review against another edition
- 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
2.5
I think the book started strong and I loved how everything felt and was conveyed, but it was more the middle and ending I had some issue/fell off. I think some of the issues I had later in the book were also foreshadowed by issues I had at the start, though at the time they were minor.
To start for what I liked. The beginning from Laia’s POV was very strong and didn’t have an overly long info dump of an introduction which I appreciated. It treated the reader like they were intelligent and let them infer a lot about the world and what’s happening. I also liked that Laia was just a very normal girl, I’ve read a lot of YA fantasy books where the MC is Extremely Special And Different and while not a bad thing it’s nice to see the variety. I thought the setup with the resistance was interesting and liked their internal politics and struggles, it felt very realistic and indicative of what we could expect from Laia’s plot line. I really liked the writing style, especially in describing characters and setting the scene. I also thought the author did a good job in establishing relationships and dynamics between characters. The Commandant was perfectly established as a frightening figure in the book and I liked the way her dynamic with Laia and Elias was so quickly established. Laia’s POV was easily the best written in my opinion, I was always interested in what was happening with her and her development. I think this is where the author’s skill in building tension and unease especially shines. I also found the world building fascinating and was always eager to learn more.
However, there were plenty of things I disliked as well. I personally found Elias’ whole thing rather boring and inconsistent. I especially hated the wag femininity and religion was treated in his chapters, especially regarding his alleged best friend Helene. I noted several times he was upset with her for being feminine/a heterosexual girl in general and at least one instance of him calling her stupid for being dedicated to the religion she had been raised in. I also found issues with showing vs telling with Helene. The book told us over and over again how strong she was and how much better she was than Elias, but was also so frequently damseled across his chapters, it was a bit of a let down. The trials too felt very repetitive with them all being combat, I’ve read other books that took place in trial-based settings and felt that each trial was unique and brought something new to the table in a way I felt this was just lacking. While each trial WAS different, it just got old after a while. There was just also a general feeling of inconsistency and plenty of times I thought that characters weren’t allowed to linger in their emotions for long enough. The romances too I generally found a bit flat and frustrating.
Overall I think it has a lot of potential and is interesting, but found it was dragged down in a few key ways, especially with Elias and his POV (which isn’t ideal for a duel POV book or having 2 MCs.)
Outside of that I thought that audiobook narrators were great and loved their performances.
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Colonisation
Minor: Rape
bittennailbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
Thumbs up: I was surprised to read that it took folks awhile to get into the story because I felt this one knocked me to the ground and dragged me through every brutal chapter like a spider monkey. This book is so bloody and ruthless that you forget it is a YA novel. The torture, SA threats, and enslavement is definitely enough to turn your stomach. That being said, the writing was very accessible which made it quick to burn my eyeball nerves speed reading because I was terrible engrossed in this story. A new favorite on my shelf for sure.
Thumbs down: I don't have much in terms of criticism for this one. Just make sure you check out the content before diving in [a lot of threats of rape but nothing on page]
Was it a nail biter? When I literally have to cover the bottom half of the page so I stop reading ahead due to my stomach dropping anxiety for these characters? I'm surprised I have fingers left. 4.75/5.
Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Torture, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Hate crime, Trafficking, and War
princessrory'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: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Bullying, Genocide, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Blood, Abandonment, and War
Minor: Medical content
takarakei'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
You have a soul. It's damaged, but it's there. Don't let them take it from you...
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Genocide, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Trafficking, Grief, Colonisation, and War
Minor: Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Abandonment
This is an extremely dark book hence the long list of TW Rape/SA - there is none graphic on page, but rape is referred to a lot (seems to be common occurrence in this world) and