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thebookesquire's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
4.5
I love Sabaa Tahir she is such a fantastic writer. Her two main strengths are her plot work and her character development.
This book does fall into common pitfalls of many fantasy YA novels - the beginning was uninteresting to me because (1) a lot of info dumping was happening without the readers having any real stakes / caring for any of the characters & (2) the YA dialogue and inner dialogue was just cringeworthy to me.
However, once you’re past the 20% mark this book truly transforms. The characters are interesting with vivid depth and you grow to love them dearly. The plot keeps you guessing until the very last page because she does a phenomenal job of tying in the plot with world building elements that are unknown to the reader but logically track given all the stepping stones she’s placed.
This is one of those books where you don’t know how much you’ve enjoyed it until you finish it and it haunts you. Literally sitting, staring at a wall, wondering how the heck you’re supposed to get back to real life.
Well done Tahir, but I can’t say I’m surprised after reading the masterpiece that is All My Rage. Well done.
This book does fall into common pitfalls of many fantasy YA novels - the beginning was uninteresting to me because (1) a lot of info dumping was happening without the readers having any real stakes / caring for any of the characters & (2) the YA dialogue and inner dialogue was just cringeworthy to me.
However, once you’re past the 20% mark this book truly transforms. The characters are interesting with vivid depth and you grow to love them dearly. The plot keeps you guessing until the very last page because she does a phenomenal job of tying in the plot with world building elements that are unknown to the reader but logically track given all the stepping stones she’s placed.
This is one of those books where you don’t know how much you’ve enjoyed it until you finish it and it haunts you. Literally sitting, staring at a wall, wondering how the heck you’re supposed to get back to real life.
Well done Tahir, but I can’t say I’m surprised after reading the masterpiece that is All My Rage. Well done.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Torture
kingsfoilexpert's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
savyhigs's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Overall enjoyable, didn’t blow me away but I may continue the series.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Rape
khaleesimod93's review against another edition
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
5.0
"You are an ember in the ashes, Elias Veturius. You will spark and burn, ravage, and destroy. You cannot change it. You cannot stop it."
It took a minute to get into the story, but the plot twist about 30 pages in, won me over completely. I knew something fishy was going on with both the resistance and the evilness of the commandant. I adore Laia. She has a quiet strength that is easy to overlook and underestimate. She learned so much truth and saw through the mask that Elias wore. I love Elias' character as well. They both grew separately throughout the book. The battle within Elias, his mother, his friendship, and his own feelings. It's so complicated. The love triangles in this story, which would usually bother, honestly added so much depth and humanization to the characters. This book is not for the faint of heart. It's dark and ugly and bleak. The evilness of Marcus and Keris is terrifying. One of the worst villians I have experienced in all my reading. She's evil for evils sake. There is nothing redeeming. No understanding. I'm worried for Laia and Elias. But also for Helene and what she will become under Marcus.
It took a minute to get into the story, but the plot twist about 30 pages in, won me over completely. I knew something fishy was going on with both the resistance and the evilness of the commandant. I adore Laia. She has a quiet strength that is easy to overlook and underestimate. She learned so much truth and saw through the mask that Elias wore. I love Elias' character as well. They both grew separately throughout the book. The battle within Elias, his mother, his friendship, and his own feelings. It's so complicated. The love triangles in this story, which would usually bother, honestly added so much depth and humanization to the characters. This book is not for the faint of heart. It's dark and ugly and bleak. The evilness of Marcus and Keris is terrifying. One of the worst villians I have experienced in all my reading. She's evil for evils sake. There is nothing redeeming. No understanding. I'm worried for Laia and Elias. But also for Helene and what she will become under Marcus.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Torture
Minor: Rape
wolfst4r's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Slavery, and Violence
Moderate: Rape
vampire_burrito's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
LOVED this, maybe straight ya fantasy does deserve rights after all. My only complaints are why was Elias so horny, hope that gets scrapped in the next one and was it entirely nessesary for basically every woman in this book to be sexually assaulted in some way (like I know it's based of the Roman Empire and I know it's a dark fantasy story, but I just did not enjoy reading those scenes.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Violence, and Colonisation
rachelfayreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Slavery, Torture, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Classism
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
takarakei'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? Yes
4.25
If you like books where no one is who they say they are and you don't know who you can trust... this is it! It's very dark, honestly I am surprised this is labeled as YA. Besides it following young adults and them all being horny teenagers, the subject matter that this deals with is very adult (see TW). I really enjoyed the dual POVs, world building, and the mysterious qualities. It is very attention grabbing and interesting right from the get-go, and it was a very unique concept. I can feel a much more intriguing plot line to come in the rest of the series...
You have a soul. It's damaged, but it's there. Don't let them take it from you...
Content Warnings
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) anddlrosebyh's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
4.5
The Martial Empire punishes disobedience with death. Those who do not promise their bodies and blood to the Emperor run the possibility of seeing their loved ones put to death and losing everything they cherish. Laia lives in this harsh, ancient Rome-inspired environment along with her grandparents and older brother. The family makes do in the squalid underbelly of the Empire. They don't take the Empire on. They know what occurs to those who do it.
However, Laia is compelled to select a choice when her brother is detained for treason. She will risk her life to spy for the rebels from the Empire's top military academy in exchange for their assistance in rescuing her brother. Elias, the best soldier at the school—and secretly its least eager—meets Laia there. Elias merely wants to be free from the oppression he is being prepared to impose. He and Laia will soon understand that their fates are interwoven and that their decisions will affect the Empire's course as a whole.
I can't believe I let so much time pass before reading this book, even though I knew I would adore it. I absolutely adored it; Laia and Elias are some of the most resilient people I know, and I would die for them. I am aware that Laia has been criticized for caving to Mazen, but how could you expect someone without a support system to respond? It goes without saying that they will turn to a kind person because their survival depends on it. I did find Helene and Keenan fascinating because I enjoy moral ambiguity, but I despised practically everyone else. I need the next book in my hands right away since I'm so eager to read it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Slavery, and Violence
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
parkerduhhh's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape