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hannah_steven's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Grief, Murder, and Torture
Moderate: Blood, Physical abuse, Slavery, and War
Minor: Bullying, Rape, and Vomit
julietteisbored's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I did not expect this book to wow me the way it did!
The relationships in this book are beautifully established. I very much enjoyed seeing the bond between the two sisters, likely because it reminds me a lot of my own sister and I.
I liked seeing that even though it was a fantasy setting there was still religion. Religion has such a large effect on a world, its history, and how people deal with hardship, that I find it strange that so many YA fantasy books ignore it mostly.
Most of all I loved that the characters felt so real. The characters make mistakes and are held accountable for them, showing their humanity. This is something many young-adults book lack in my opinion. Seeing the main characters oppose eachother, and not knowing who is right in the situation made everything even more painful.
The death of Xander is a great example of this. I kept expecting there to be a reveal that Halcyon did not kill him, but one of the antagonists did and framed her. This did not happen however, and as much as it hurt I loved that. Then the commander, Straton, sentences her to a cruel punishment, which he later regrets. He loved Halcyon but wanted the revenge for the death of his son.
The relationships in this book are beautifully established. I very much enjoyed seeing the bond between the two sisters, likely because it reminds me a lot of my own sister and I.
I liked seeing that even though it was a fantasy setting there was still religion. Religion has such a large effect on a world, its history, and how people deal with hardship, that I find it strange that so many YA fantasy books ignore it mostly.
Most of all I loved that the characters felt so real. The characters make mistakes and are held accountable for them, showing their humanity. This is something many young-adults book lack in my opinion. Seeing the main characters oppose eachother, and not knowing who is right in the situation made everything even more painful.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Vomit, Physical abuse, and Grief
Minor: Bullying
beautifulpaxielreads's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, and Violence
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