Reviews tagging 'Medical trauma'

City of Shattered Light by Claire Winn

2 reviews

elwirax's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Rep- Two bisexual MCs, POC, mentions of non-binary characters, gay side couple.

"When all the world has burnt, even the ashes feel like home".

The worldbuilding in City of Shattered Light was vivid, the imagery was atmospheric and easy to picture. However, I couldn't really connect with any of the characters, they weren't fully fleshed out and it made it difficult to care for them. They were written to be 17/18 but didn't act as such and I think the characterisation would've made more sense had they been in their early to mid 20s. There was also a love triangle of sorts which I don't enjoy in books and this one didn't really serve a purpose because it wasn't developed in a believable way. In all honesty I didn't care for the romance between Asa and Riven either which was a wee bit dissapointing considering that was the the main reason I picked it up. I didn't think them getting together at the moment they did was appropriate and made me feel bad for the male in the triangle.

Although I wasn't overly invested in individual characters they were very distinct from one another and I appreciated the found family. There's something about people from different walks of life coming together and forming  bonds that really makes me happy. They had some good banter which I very much enjoyed and it was clear they cared for each other. As for the ending, I was quite dissapointed. City of Shattered Light was  full of action and sometimes jumped from scene to scene which negated from the character's situation. The apparent sacrifice really came out of no where, there was no build up and none of the emotional impact it could have had. It was jarring to say the least especially when even the characters didn't have a drastic reaction. This is where some of the bonds felt loose compared to earlier in the book. 

The writing was a a bit juvenile and fanficy at times and the villain was entirely predictable from the beginning. Nonetheless, for a debut it was still enjoyable, easy to get into and therefore, a solid read. Based on the epilogue I assume there may be a continuation in the future which I would definitely consider reading.
 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

foreverinastory's review

Go to review page

adventurous emotional tense fast-paced
  • 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

Loved this so much!! The action and characters were incredible. There better be a sequel! *Cries*

Rep: Chronically ill bisexual female MC, BIPOC (Asian coded, most likely Filipina) bisexual female MC, achillean BIPOC male side characters, side character with cybernetic implants, queer normative world.

CWs: Alcohol consumption, blood, body horror (forced cybernetic implants), chronic illness, cursing, death, gaslighting, grief, gun violence, injury/injury detail, medical content, medical trauma, terminal illness, violence. Moderate: suicidal thoughts, gore, kidnapping. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
More...