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amaranth_wytch's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Animal death, War, Violence, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Alcohol
moond4ncer'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
3.75
Graphic: Violence, War, Animal death, Death, Blood, Torture, Child death, Kidnapping, and Murder
lucario4224's review
- 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: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Death
Moderate: Blood, Confinement, Violence, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, and War
Minor: Grief and Murder
shieldbearer'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? Yes
4.5
However, it must be said that this book does have racist parallels I completely missed as a child. The use of the slur for Romani peoples, namely, and the explicit comparison of/conflation of said slur with the foxes Sela and Chickenhound is a harmful anti-Romani stereotype. They are explicitly described as Romani and their behaviour and characterizations are harmful anti-Romani stereotypes.
There's also the matter of the Sparra, which are more ambiguous, though the author explicitly refers to Sparra warriors as "braves" and continually refers to the race as a whole as "savages" and their portrayal does very much bring to mind typical indigenous stereotypes.
While I would still recommend this book, I firmly believe we should not ignore these harmful portrayals and if you share the novel with your children, these issues should be discussed.
Graphic: Blood, Racial slurs, Murder, Medical content, Death, Death of parent, Racism, Violence, War, Xenophobia, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Grief, Death of parent, Confinement, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Fire/Fire injury, and Gore
Minor: Slavery
theworstofit's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Blood, Death, Murder, Animal death, War, Xenophobia, and Violence
fiveredhens's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
"Ah, Matthias, Matthias, the brave one. Wipe away your tears, my son. Death is only part of life. Tell me, can you see the late rose?"
Matthias dried his eyes on the Abbot's wide sleeve. "Yes, Father. It is in full bloom now."
"And are all the little roses as red as blood?" said the Abbot.
"They are, Father," Matthias answered.
The Abbot sighed. "It is as it was meant to be."
85% guided reading level book for the discerning christian second-grader
10% graphic violence
5% woodland feast
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Racial slurs, and Sexism
Minor: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Confinement, Fatphobia, and Physical abuse
"r*ghead"nickshutter's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Blood and Gore