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indeedithappens'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: Addiction, Drug use, and Slavery
Moderate: Mental illness, Self harm, Mass/school shootings, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Police brutality, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Death, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Xenophobia, Addiction, Alcohol, Blood, Confinement, Cursing, Gun violence, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Stalking, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Body horror, Child abuse, Classism, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Torture, Toxic friendship, Trafficking, Bullying, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Gaslighting, Grief, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Gore, Medical content, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, and Rape
miraveta's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Also, I don't know that it's right to categorize this as an lgbt-friendly story. The robot Paladin states multiple times that they are genderless and merely allow humans to use male pronouns for them because that's what people assume when looking at them. They decide to allow Eliasz to start misgendering them as a woman instead of as a man because they can tell how much he wants to after finding out their original organ donor was a woman--basically just so he can act on his desire for them without addressing his mindset that men being with men are f*****s (his word) and wrong. And again -- the author's conceptualization of the robot's ability to genuinely consent to anything Eliasz asks is pretty debatable given the programs the robot is forced to run while indentured. And the WLW are all murdered, tortured, or sent into hiding. All in all not exactly the lgbt scifi romance win it has been marketed in some places as.
Moderate: Drug abuse, Police brutality, Torture, and Trafficking
Minor: Addiction and Homophobia
bebidocrimes'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
4.0
Graphic: Homophobia, Police brutality, Death, Gore, Trafficking, Cursing, Blood, Slavery, Addiction, Medical content, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Grief, Gun violence, Torture, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Murder
Moderate: Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, and Rape
Minor: Pedophilia and Vomit
garbagebarge69'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? Yes
2.5
Not saying that plot is bad, or that it doesn't fit contextually; just like, how
Graphic: Addiction, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Police brutality, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual content, Classism, Trafficking, and Drug use
Minor: Drug abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Grief, Torture, Gore, and Sexual assault
imjustadow'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
2.25
On the one hand, I loved Jack. Bisexual, anti-corporate, emancipator pirate lady? I'm all in, say less. Her life and experiences were very enjoyable to read and I really enjoyed her interactions with the other characters in her insane life.
But GOD, the stuff with Eliasz just kind of ruined everything for me. I don't like the way his "relationship" with Paladin played out starting from THAT chapter (if you've read it, you know which one I'm talking about). The fact that it was never resolved really made having any sympathy at all for Eliasz' quest to stop Jack next to impossible
Eliasz, at the end of the day, is a deeply homophobic cop who has no issue whatsoever with killing people to get what he wants. And more disgusting than that, he feels all of his actions are justified by him "following the law." He mentions that his time hunting down child traffickers was hell and that now that he was in patent law everything was simple and black and white, but that's such a one-dimensional state for a character to begin in, and never grow from as a person.
I loved the worldbuilding, the concept is fascinating, but I really ultimately did not enjoy this book, and I really really wanted to
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Transphobia, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Pandemic/Epidemic, Torture, Addiction, Homophobia, Violence, Grief, Medical trauma, Cursing, Blood, Trafficking, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Rape, Slavery, Drug use, Murder, and Sexual content
At the end of the day, I would say that the stuff with Eliasz represents a more realistic depiction of someone with deeply internalized homophobia who never actually improves from that point. And if we're considering how some people in real life are, that's not abnormal. However, to write Eliasz's actions out to be anything other than a villain in the story and then to give him a "happy" ending, it just wasn't for me. The author made choices I wouldn't have, and that is their prerogative. I just really didn't enjoy the choices made for Eliaszmeg_thebrave'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? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Child abuse, Slavery, Violence, Addiction, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gore and Homophobia
quihi's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Classism, Addiction, Child abuse, Murder, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Torture, Adult/minor relationship, Violence, Police brutality, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, Trafficking, and Slavery
Moderate: Homophobia
blotchedspots's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, and Drug use
Moderate: Slavery, Trafficking, Police brutality, Physical abuse, and Body horror
Minor: Biphobia, Child abuse, Homophobia, and Adult/minor relationship
caseythereader'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
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Sexual content, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Child abuse, Death, Grief, Murder, Police brutality, Gore, Gun violence, Torture, Trafficking, Violence, Homophobia, and Slavery
Minor: Rape
mzhughman's review
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Violence and Addiction
Moderate: Homophobia and Torture