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alexijai98's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Confinement, Slavery, War, Death, Genocide, Grief, Murder, Torture, Colonisation, Blood, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual content
risten'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
Graphic: Confinement, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Death, Racism, Violence, Child death, Gore, Genocide, Grief, Murder, Police brutality, Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Torture, Classism, War, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Animal death, Vomit, Excrement, and Misogyny
c_l_ara's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Torture, Violence, Genocide, War, Racism, Slavery, Child death, Confinement, Child abuse, Death, Grief, and Physical abuse
joylehua_95's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Elias is my favorite character. He is selfless and brave, but this can also be a hindrance to his growth. He feels he hurts the ones he loves, so he feels he needs to isolate. When really, it's his love and general humanity that is his strong point. I love Laia, I feel she has grown into herself. She has become brave, sure of herself. She is no longer the girl that ran away.
I am not fully entrenched in Helene's story yet; I have not fully connected with her in this book. However, I feel for her character, though, because, unlike Elias, she is deep in the grasp of the Empire. She sacrificed herself, her freedom for Elias and the greater good of the Empire.
Graphic: Violence, Grief, Torture, Death, Death of parent, Blood, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Slavery, and Genocide
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
Now, Laia... I love her, but girl, why so naive at times? Letting a certain someone
Graphic: Physical abuse, Torture, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Grief, Blood, Child abuse, Death of parent, Murder, Violence, and Fire/Fire injury
anarmandameg's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Murder, Torture, Violence, Toxic friendship, Child abuse, Confinement, Death of parent, Genocide, Medical content, Racism, Slavery, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Animal death, Blood, Domestic abuse, War, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, and Xenophobia
bree_h_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Death, Murder, Torture, Blood, Violence, and Confinement
Moderate: Slavery, Child abuse, Hate crime, Child death, Genocide, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
theintrovertsbooks'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? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Blood, Death of parent, Confinement, Murder, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, Abortion, Terminal illness, Torture, Grief, Cursing, Genocide, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Gore, Police brutality, and Slavery
Minor: Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, and Sexual assault
caseythereader'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
4.75
Graphic: Physical abuse, Torture, Blood, Genocide, Fire/Fire injury, Slavery, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Death of parent, Child death, Classism, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Sexual content
bzliz'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
There’s an interesting theme of isolation between our three leads- Laia with Keenan, Elias with the Soul Catcher, and Helene’s loss- and how they face this isolation and forge ahead shows how special they are. This is also a spot I find frustrating as a reader because I’m certain these characters will all have to trust each other eventually to defeat the final evil but they don’t right now so they lack the full picture that they’d have if they worked together.
Sabaa Tahir excels in creating complex characters that thrive in murky gray morality and I absolutely love it. I was concerned about Helene’s story being consumed by lovesick feelings but I’m thrilled she’s coming in to her own. Elias’s journey is fascinating- he does everything in his power even as he’s dying to fulfill his vow to Laia (obligatory: Ladies, don’t settle. If he wanted to, he would.) and it leads to a big twist I know will be crucial and probably necessary as the series builds. And I already didn’t care for Keenan (he has big Gale energy) but there’s no way I could have predicted his deeply layered secrets.
I appreciate the well balanced push-pull between the different forces at play. It can be frustrating when you read something where the villains never slip up and are always one step ahead. Even as the Commandant builds her secret plans, Helene manages to foil some, which is a huge accomplishment when you consider the Commandant’s unearthly ally. Laia and Elias also discover a weakness in the Nightbringer despite the power imbalance between them. These successes make the world grim but not entirely bleak.
Content warnings: this world is brutal and survives on groups enacting violence upon each other. I’d recommend you stay away from the series if you can’t stand true cruelty.
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Blood, Torture, Violence, Body horror, Death, Gore, and Grief
Moderate: Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Confinement, Slavery, and Genocide
Minor: Animal death and Death of parent