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lissi_k's review against another edition
5.0
The worldbuilding is insane - at first it seems very straightforward and unoriginal, but throughout the story the author effortlessly weaves in more and more details that make you realise how deep it actually goes, and how every part of it is inextricably intertwined with the characters and the story at large.
All the characters are three-dimensional, morally grey and very human, and it is a delight to follow their thoughts and actions. I also love how every action always has far-reaching consequences, no action exists in a vacuum here. A big bonus are the fight scenes, which are remarkably realistic both regarding what happens, and how the characters feel during.
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Violence, and Drug abuse
Moderate: Murder, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Xenophobia, and Death
moosta2112's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Grief and Violence
Moderate: Sexual content, Addiction, Suicide, and Drug use
Minor: Pedophilia
jmsaporito'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
4.0
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Pedophilia
noisivweneht's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Looking forward to the character development in the next two books. Hopeful at least because if specifically one person doesn’t change that will be the death of them.
I really want to give it 5 stars and maybe I will but I will update that once I get off the high of the book. I just finished it and I usually think books are better immediately after finishing them than they tend to be. That being said, this book genuinely is so well written and emotional. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I don’t think there was a moment where I felt it was dragged on or that I wished for it to be over.
Graphic: Death, Pedophilia, War, Child death, Death of parent, Murder, Gore, Dementia, Drug use, Grief, Drug abuse, Ableism, and Violence
tarralmurphy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug use, and Self harm
Moderate: Pedophilia
lunep'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
Graphic: Grief, Death, Alcohol, Murder, Violence, Medical content, Sexual content, Blood, Cursing, Sexual violence, Gun violence, Body horror, Drug use, War, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Self harm
Moderate: Pedophilia, Vomit, Mental illness, Misogyny, Drug abuse, Kidnapping, Addiction, and Animal cruelty
Minor: Infidelity, Suicide, Pregnancy, Pandemic/Epidemic, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Colonisation, Dementia, Child abuse, and Racism
gus717's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Violence, Death, Murder, and Blood
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Gun violence, Drug use, Pedophilia, and Sexual content
Minor: Rape, Torture, Alcohol, Racism, and Xenophobia
greebkit's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Otherwise the actions, mistakes, observations, etc of the characters seem to naturally evolve and really worked for me. The ending actually won me over after I was ready to just finish the book and move on. Without giving anything away, the ending seemed both to develop naturally without being out of place or a cliffhanger. You could read this and never read the follow ups. However, it is also not a pre-packaged "happily ever after" ending so it fits the fantasy realism of the book very well, in my opinion.
Overall, I enjoyed it and will be reading the follow-up book, but I am not in a hurry to read it.
Graphic: Misogyny
Minor: Pedophilia and Sexual harassment
There is a scene early on meant to depict the close, trusting relationship between two characters that is just borderline creepy. There is a continuing theme of misogyny against women in power positions that for me contributed to the realism of the setting, but could be taxing if you are sick of that reality. There is a brief mention of the discovery of a previously trusted character using his position to harass an underage girl including the discovery of a pornography stash that has underage teenage girls. I actually thought the reactions to this discovery in the book were well done and show how dismissing this like it was nothing really affected the family involved, the life of the granddaughter and why she was ready to run as far as possible from her family. Obviously, if it is triggering, you can skip it, but considering the context and that it is kept brief, I think it is there to contribute to the story not to be a jarring instance of shock value or sexualized in any way.bibliomania_express'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? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Murder, War, Xenophobia, Misogyny, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Torture, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Blood, Ableism, Grief, Drug abuse, Dementia, Death, and Body horror
Moderate: Colonisation, Pedophilia, Classism, Homophobia, and Adult/minor relationship
annabelle's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death, Sexism, and Violence
Moderate: Drug abuse
Minor: Pedophilia