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evelyne98's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Rape, Torture, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Suicide
klavda's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Slavery
lainiereads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Everyone- I have no critic of the book, it is so good. This review is just going to be my stream of consciousness when thinking about what I just read.
Going into this, I had no idea how dark it was. There are so many serious subjects that are discussed in this book and I definitely recommend checking out the trigger warnings before you start reading.
The characters were so well written and it's so easy to feel connected to them. The whole time I was reading, I had no idea what was going to happen next, and I began to feel the same distrust towards everyone that Laia did.
Also, I love Elias. BEST BOY BEST BOY BEST BOY. I just,,,, he's morally right? and he helps others?? AND he wants to become a better person??? I love him.
I was so quickly hooked while reading this book, and I never felt like I was at a slow part of the story. Sabaa Tahir's writing style is perfect, she is able to make everything easy to follow while also keeping the readers on the edge of their seats. I now want to read everything by her, she just did such a good job with this book.
I am really excited to read the rest of this series, although I am also terrified of the sadness ahead of me. I both want to see what happens next and don't want to risk any of the characters going through more pain than they already have.
I definitely recommend this book, but as I said CHECK THE TW!!! It's a bit of a heavy story, so make sure you are prepared.
<3 Sabaa Tahir, you are a queen.
Going into this, I had no idea how dark it was. There are so many serious subjects that are discussed in this book and I definitely recommend checking out the trigger warnings before you start reading.
The characters were so well written and it's so easy to feel connected to them. The whole time I was reading, I had no idea what was going to happen next, and I began to feel the same distrust towards everyone that Laia did.
Also, I love Elias. BEST BOY BEST BOY BEST BOY. I just,,,, he's morally right? and he helps others?? AND he wants to become a better person??? I love him.
I was so quickly hooked while reading this book, and I never felt like I was at a slow part of the story. Sabaa Tahir's writing style is perfect, she is able to make everything easy to follow while also keeping the readers on the edge of their seats. I now want to read everything by her, she just did such a good job with this book.
I am really excited to read the rest of this series, although I am also terrified of the sadness ahead of me. I both want to see what happens next and don't want to risk any of the characters going through more pain than they already have.
I definitely recommend this book, but as I said CHECK THE TW!!! It's a bit of a heavy story, so make sure you are prepared.
<3 Sabaa Tahir, you are a queen.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Rape, Kidnapping, Abandonment, and Colonisation
Minor: Suicide
clea's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
After reading the first page, I was already sucked into the rich but quite dark and horrific world Tahir's created. It has been a while since I had been so invested in a book that I couldn't put it down! The writing is immersive, gripping and engaging. Tahir checked off all YA tropes I really love (magical competition, training school, enemies to lovers, brutal regime to overthrow, etc.) and executed them in a nuanced and refreshing way.
Although Laia's character was a little annoying in the beginning (she was weak, not very brave, too naïve...), she went through a great development and her initial weaknesses makes the ending all the more rewarding and satisfying.
I was relieved that the romance wasn't an essential part of the book. The big, important issues/motivations weren't suddenly tossed aside in order to make room for an unnatural romance, but the characters' overarching political and personal problems stayed on the forefront of the story.
I can strongly recommend this book, if you like YA fantasy. But it is surprisingly dark and brutal, so make sure to check the content warnings!
Although Laia's character was a little annoying in the beginning (she was weak, not very brave, too naïve...), she went through a great development and her initial weaknesses makes the ending all the more rewarding and satisfying.
I was relieved that the romance wasn't an essential part of the book. The big, important issues/motivations weren't suddenly tossed aside in order to make room for an unnatural romance, but the characters' overarching political and personal problems stayed on the forefront of the story.
I can strongly recommend this book, if you like YA fantasy. But it is surprisingly dark and brutal, so make sure to check the content warnings!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Physical abuse, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Sexism and Sexual violence
Minor: Confinement, Rape, Suicide, Torture, and Abandonment
miraswrld's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Genocide, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault
Minor: Suicide
jbells7's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Physical abuse, and Slavery
Moderate: Rape, Violence, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Suicide and Torture
calilaha's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Slavery, and Blood
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Violence, and Toxic friendship
vivelarevolution'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
I read and re-read this series in high school and I absolutely adored it. I still do, in many ways. However, there are definitely some things bothering me as I re-read these books as an adult. Most glaringly: the relationship between Elias and Laia. It is acknowledged multiple times, as they get closer and the impending romance is either hinted at or haltingly kindled, that the power dynamics between them make a consensual relationship completely impossible. He is a soldier, an Aspirant; she is his mother's slave. They kiss anyway. And at no point is their age gap--seventeen and twenty--ever acknowledged as a part of this power dynamic or treated as if it could be wrong.
It's partially for this reason that I have tagged this book with the content warning adult/minor relationship. There is another adult/minor relationship which is not acknowledged as such in this book because it is a spoiler that I remember from a later book.Keenan, who kisses Laia and actively attempts to develop a relationship with her in this book, is actually thousands of years old, not human, and (obviously) lying about his identity. Frankly I can accept the presence of the second relationship more than the first because at least he is portrayed as a villain over it.
I don't want to hate this book. A lot of things about it were compelling to me--especially Helene and Afya Ara-Nur and Spiro Teluman. But I don't understand why this type of relationship has to be so normalized. Why could Laia not have been an adult in this book? Why could the Blackcliff graduates not have been the age of high school graduates rather than in their early twenties? Why did the author feel the need to initiate their sexual relationship not just while they are a slave and a master, but in the specific context of Laia being "given" to Elias as a prize? I genuinely cannot imagine what must have been going through the author's mind to set up their relationship in this way and act like it's okay.
And honestly, rape was used as a plot device just about every three seconds. The author wants to remind us Marcus is evil and we need to hate him? Let's have him threaten to rape Helene again! The author wants us to know how Elias is such a Good Guy Who Will Protect Laia From the Commandant? Let's have him pretend to rape her as a "cover"! The author wants to just, I don't know, fulfill some sort of quota for how many times she wants to include the word? Let's have Marcus beat Laia nearly to death and attempt to rape her unconscious body! It's just constant and excessive, especially for a freaking YA novel.
And this is less egregious than my previously listed complaints, but sometimes I can't believe this book was written by a woman. Elias spends the entire book "saving" every woman in his life from various threats (mostly rape) despite the fact that Helene in particular is just as skilled as he is and should be able to defend herself. The petty drama of pitting Helene and Laia against each other over Elias is so tired. The Commandant is the closest that the author comes to a female character whose motivations are not exclusively about a man, and she is just the most cardboard cutout Evil Villain Lady in existence.
It's partially for this reason that I have tagged this book with the content warning adult/minor relationship. There is another adult/minor relationship which is not acknowledged as such in this book because it is a spoiler that I remember from a later book.
I don't want to hate this book. A lot of things about it were compelling to me--especially Helene and Afya Ara-Nur and Spiro Teluman. But I don't understand why this type of relationship has to be so normalized. Why could Laia not have been an adult in this book? Why could the Blackcliff graduates not have been the age of high school graduates rather than in their early twenties? Why did the author feel the need to initiate their sexual relationship not just while they are a slave and a master, but in the specific context of Laia being "given" to Elias as a prize? I genuinely cannot imagine what must have been going through the author's mind to set up their relationship in this way and act like it's okay.
And honestly, rape was used as a plot device just about every three seconds. The author wants to remind us Marcus is evil and we need to hate him? Let's have him threaten to rape Helene again! The author wants us to know how Elias is such a Good Guy Who Will Protect Laia From the Commandant? Let's have him pretend to rape her as a "cover"! The author wants to just, I don't know, fulfill some sort of quota for how many times she wants to include the word? Let's have Marcus beat Laia nearly to death and attempt to rape her unconscious body! It's just constant and excessive, especially for a freaking YA novel.
And this is less egregious than my previously listed complaints, but sometimes I can't believe this book was written by a woman. Elias spends the entire book "saving" every woman in his life from various threats (mostly rape) despite the fact that Helene in particular is just as skilled as he is and should be able to defend herself. The petty drama of pitting Helene and Laia against each other over Elias is so tired. The Commandant is the closest that the author comes to a female character whose motivations are not exclusively about a man, and she is just the most cardboard cutout Evil Villain Lady in existence.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Murder, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Torture
Minor: Child death and Suicide
No-one is raped in this book, but there are multiple scenes of attempted rape. It is mentioned frequently throughout the book, mostly in the context of the constant threat of rape experienced by enslaved women. The two main characters, Elias and Laia, develop a romance over the course of this book despite the fact that Elias is an esteemed and powerful soldier and Laia is his mother's slave. They share their first kiss after Laia is "given" to Elias as a prize. Additionally, there are multiple scenes in which the Laia is beaten, branded, or otherwise brutalized due to her status as a slave. All of the enslaved characters have endured significant torture and violence, most of which took place before the time of the book and is mentioned in the past tense.aurora13's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Violence, and Colonisation
Moderate: Sexual violence
Minor: Rape and Suicide
toshita's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Slavery, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual violence
Minor: Rape and Suicide