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searobin'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
I am a bit confused with some things like the Blighted lands. They kinda appeared and disappeared from the story so quickly, and the limited lore we did get about them did not explain enough at all. That is a bit frustrating.
I saw another review where someone said the MC didn't seem 30, but more like 19. I think YA fantasy books have primed us to think that teens are way more capable than they are on average - and of course they aren't average most of the time, they have powers or there's a prophecy and magic involved some how... I can absolutely see how growing up in the protection of first the youngest princess in a castle and then a sort of nun, in combination with a shy and introverted personality leads to a naive and timid adult. I am 31 years old, and absolutely wouldn't be able to do much of what a lot of MCs do in books. It's nice to have something that feels more realistic!
(I do want to take this moment to also acknowledge that there are so many incredible youth who do do absolutely amazing things. The young activist fighting for climate change measures, Indigenous rights and Land Back, BLM, Palestine, etc... are so great. I can see how the heros of YA fantasy could do it, we do have real world examples, it's just also nice to see a random 30 year old with limited life experience manage to do something as well!)
Moderate: Slavery, Physical abuse, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Confinement, Child death, Torture, Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Body horror, Death, Animal death, and Abortion
aubreymichelle'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
4.5
One thing about this book is that it had parts that went unutilized or parts that felt dry: the blistered land and saints vengeful over broken taboo, the goblin market, the fact that Marra magically made a dog of bones come to life.
The characters felt rather flushed out and Marra slowly learned to find her inner strength and her trust in others. The dust-wife was oddly snarky and often, along with her demon hen, added comedy to the story.
My favorite quote from this book is "I've done many things that were terribly important, lives hanging in the balance and so on and so forth. There is something pleasant about chopping wood. If I miss a stroke, nothing awful happens." I feel like this quote really highlights the stressing standards that some people face, and shows how it is important to sometimes take a step back and relax.
This book had quite a few insightful quotes, but also quite a few funny lines.
The plot was slower than I expected it to bed and there were parts where, as I said earlier, a certain bit could have been utilized.
A list of words I learned from this novel are: Charnel, Dotage, Querulous, Awl, Palanquin, Abacus, Leper, Genuflecting, Aquiline, Lacquer, Banal, and Geas.
Another amazing quote from this book is one that really shows Marra's character growth:
Overall, I would say this is a good book for people who like characters that feel mostly real and a woman slowly discovering her self worth.
4☆: I enjoyed this and would recommend it.
Edit:
My General 4.5 Stars / This book has well-rounded characters that have clear-cut personalities and roles. The worldbuilding was congruent throughout the book. The direction that the plot went and the conclusion was realistic. The book paced well. However, something was missing or did not quite make sense. I loved this book, but it wasn’t quite worth five stars.
Graphic: Miscarriage and Pregnancy
Moderate: Child death and Physical abuse
Minor: Rape and Slavery
tays_books'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: Domestic abuse and Physical abuse
Moderate: Death, Child death, Pregnancy, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Murder, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Slavery, Incest, Grief, Torture, and Cannibalism
xwiththevex's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Blood, Pregnancy, Body horror, Death, Grief, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexism, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death, Emotional abuse, Murder, Slavery, Blood, Classism, Confinement, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Child death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Body horror, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence
Minor: Cannibalism, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Torture
uranaishi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Moderate: Animal death, Emotional abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Child death, Murder, Grief, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexism, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Cannibalism, Abortion, Blood, Slavery, Violence, Confinement, Dementia, Infertility, Miscarriage, Death of parent, Infidelity, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Mental illness, Sexual content, Torture, and War
jiska_bloem'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? No
5.0
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Child death, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Animal death, and Death
Minor: Grief, Miscarriage, Injury/Injury detail, and Slavery
eleonorehilbig'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
4.0
the only real issue i had with it was the tone shift with it starting out quite grimly with lots of gory elements and then becoming a sort of lets go on an adventure with a bunch of people who dont seem to be who youd pick for that adventure. however i enjoyed it thoroughly especially the internal struggles of the mc and the topics that were discussed. all in all a great book.
Graphic: Physical abuse, Miscarriage, Domestic abuse, Death, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Child death, Slavery, and Pregnancy
taremeredzwatchirewa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Violence, and Slavery
babs_books's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Grief, and Murder
Minor: Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, and Slavery
mochikochicken's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Death, Domestic abuse, Body horror, and Murder
There is a scene where a character has a tooth extracted which could be triggering. It isn't painful but it is graphic in a weird way. Does not include a dentist.