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corabookworm'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? N/A
3.75
Graphic: Blood, Violence, Racism, Grief, Death, Injury/Injury detail, War, Torture, Murder, Misogyny, and Confinement
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, and Rape
Minor: Homophobia, Animal cruelty, Fire/Fire injury, and Pregnancy
*a lot of this book talks about or contains descriptions of blood, so be careful!*jashanac'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
3.75
This was BRUTAL at times, including very early on. Very much content warnings for murder (of young girls especially), torture (of young girls specifically), sexual violence, sexual violence against children, gore, xenophobia... there is only one scene with a mention of sexual violence that happened to one of the girls when she was younger but the description of what happened to her is truly horrifying... so be aware of that before picking this up!
I felt like the pacing was a bit rushed at the end -- it kind of came across to me like the author was aiming for an epic "here comes the cavalry" and epic "omg PLOT TWIST" moment a time or two, which fell slightly flat for me. Not terribly flat, not super disappointing, but just a little bit, "Oh... okay."
I enjoyed the cast of characters and seeing them form very close bonds with one another, and I appreciated that while we do have a bit of a budding romance that we see forming that was not at all the focus and the main character's friendships even had priority over the romantic interest/relationship.
The magic and world-building was also intriguing to me -- enough that I do indeed look forward to the next book!
Graphic: Body horror and Sexual violence
Moderate: Murder, Xenophobia, Trafficking, Sexism, Pedophilia, Child death, Torture, and Misogyny
szandra87'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? No
3.75
And this might be just me but this was the first time I understood "show/don't tell" when it comes to writing. Many relationships, both friendships and the romance is a little sudden due to the bigger time jumps. Developing these could have used a bit more detail.
All in all, I'd recommend to anyone who wants something extremely feminist but definitely not to kids under 16-17.
Graphic: Death, War, Blood, Child abuse, Grief, Misogyny, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, and Death of parent
greenlivingaudioworm'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
3.5
Graphic: Rape, Murder, Death, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Pedophilia, Racism, Misogyny, and Self harm
rachaelfryman'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? It's complicated
4.0
Reminds Me of: African Mythology, meets feminist themes, meets EPIC battles
Three Reasons You Should Read This:
1) The cover - I mean come on. This is GORGEOUS!
2) The powerful messages of feminism and anti-misogyny are on pointe!
3) There were so many twists that I did not see coming and I audibly gasped a few times! :)
One Thing You Should Know Before You Pick it Up:
This is extremely violent!! This should be expected in a book that features so many battle scenes, but please know going in - a LOT of violence!
Content Warnings: death, death of a loved one/parent, extreme violence, misogyny, mutilation, rape, sexual abuse/sexual abuse of a child, torture, trauma
Favorite Quote: “Never forget: the same gift they praise you for now, they will kill you for later.”
Sound Track:
Monster - Meg and Dia
Unstoppable - Sia
Bring Me to Life - Evanescence
All These Things That I've Done - The Killers
Zombie - Bad Wolves
Headstrong - Trapt
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, and War
Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault
Minor: Death of parent, Trafficking, and Pedophilia
_savannahreads_'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? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, and War
ebelzinha'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? It's complicated
4.5
It’s a really empowering story, deka’s whole journey of understanding who she is and where she belongs. A true roller coaster. I did predict a couple of plot twists but there were some unthinkable ones.
I love deka, belcalis, britta, keita, adwapa and especially IXA!!!!
Graphic: Torture and Sexism
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexism, and Sexual assault
danni_chambers67'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
4.5
The world building was amazing I really believed the place and in the society. And thought, it had interesting themes in the world and in the book. The history of the world felt developed and easy to believe and understand. The writing style was amazing and helped me love the characters and the world.
I loved the inclusion. And the discussion of certain themes such as feminism, racism, there were several POC characters, and LGBT+ characters. The was a lot of diversity in the book.
My only complaint and why it is not five stars is too do with the ending and revelations.
Overall, I loved the book and the themes. I would really recommend and really think it is worth a read.
Graphic: Racism, Rape, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Trafficking, Death, Sexual violence, Violence, Torture, and Confinement
Moderate: Death of parent, Genocide, Gore, and Blood
fungivibes's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Misogyny, Rape, and Torture
Moderate: Pedophilia and Racism
sararainsberry'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? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Murder, and Torture
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Child abuse, Confinement, Pedophilia, Rape, and Sexual violence