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jialianyang'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
4.75
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Blood, Classism, Colonisation, Confinement, Death, Kidnapping, Murder, Rape, Sexism, and War
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Slavery, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Kidnapping, and Stalking
annemaries_shelves'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? Yes
4.25
I enjoyed this a LOT more than Tracker's perspective - Sologon the Moon Witch was a compelling character who was consistent in her characterization - stubborn, quick to anger, violent, intense in all emotions, and unwilling to take anyone's shit (or advice, to her own detriment).
I was impressed with how James wrote her - she was a lot more realistic than many male fantasy writer's female characters. She actually talks about her period (moonblood), expresses frustration with how stupid men are and how unfair and unjust the world is to women, and has her own interests outside of a husband and children (both of which she does have). She's not perfect - frustrating, sometimes veers towards homophobic in her comments/thoughts about Tracker, violent, rude, but always compelling.
The world is just as violent, misogynistic, and brutal - rape, witch hunts, and murder are still common, everyday occurrences. We follow Sogolon through at least 170+ years of her life, with a more sequential story than BLRW. Characters from the first book really only show up 500 pages in, and as expected, there are discrepancies between Tracker's versions of events and Sogolon's. Particularly around the Aesi - who is only slightly less mysterious in this novel and altogether more terrifying as you learn more his backstory (mostly through interactions with our protagonist).
Overall, I really enjoyed this story and it flew by in comparison to BLRW. Sogolon had so many great moments of insight and power, and her impact on the woman of this fantasy world is undeniable. There's still a lot left to uncover across the main plot, which I hope will be revealed in the final book, whenever that's published.
CW: rape, torture, sexism and misogyny, slavery/enslavement, domestic and child abuse, blood and gore, witch hunts, bestiality (consensual this time, for what that's worth...), child death, grief, pregnancy and birth, pedophilia, and I'm sure others that I can't remember after 650 pages.
Graphic: Pregnancy, Slavery, Blood, Gore, Grief, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Violence, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Rape, Child death, Death, and Sexism
Moderate: Pedophilia, Homophobia, and Torture
kkelley18's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, Sexual assault, Rape, Death, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Child death, Sexual violence, Fire/Fire injury, and Child abuse