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vzarlb'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
Graphic: Violence, Kidnapping, Gore, Grief, and Death
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Murder, Gun violence, Child death, Trafficking, and Hate crime
Minor: Cursing, Torture, Vomit, and Pandemic/Epidemic
bookishperseus'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
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Child death, Classism, Gaslighting, Medical trauma, Murder, Slavery, War, Deportation, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Kidnapping, Body horror, Xenophobia, Abandonment, Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Death, Addiction, Confinement, Death of parent, Grief, Gun violence, Medical content, Trafficking, Violence, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Torture
Moderate: Drug use, Abandonment, Death of parent, Genocide, Misogyny, Blood, Deportation, Gore, Grief, Body horror, Child abuse, Vomit, Racial slurs, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Confinement, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, and Cursing
allthehopeyouneed'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
3.75
I had the same complaint I’ve seen others have- the age of the characters did not work for me. So many of the characters had intense backstories and pasts with other characters that seems should go back years or decades but oop no that was like 6 months ago because everyone is 16 17 18 years old. I feel the biggest offender is Kaz (I love him tho). I understand he had an extremely traumatic series of events happen to him. But just imagining harden criminal Kaz age 10 becoming a gang leader really took me out of the story.
Looking past the ages of the characters I really enjoyed going on the job with the dregs gang and am invested in what comes next.
Graphic: Death of parent, Drug abuse, Hate crime, Drug use, Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Addiction, and Child death
nxssistr'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
Leigh Bardugo erzählt eine Geschichte von sechs Außenseitern mit eigenen Motiven, Bedürfnissen, Traumata und Zielen. Jede Figur durchläuft ihre eigene Geschichte, kämpft gegen innere Dämonen und wird mit Schwächen konfrontiert. Dabei verliert das Buch nie an Spannung. Jedes Kapitel beginnt interessant und lässt die Lesenden mit dem Wunsch zurück, umblättern zu wollen.
Das Beziehungsgeflecht ist unheimlich interessant gestaltet, ebenso die Art wie die Charaktere Vertrauen zueinander entwickeln oder auch verlieren.
Obwohl die Kapitel von Er-Sie-Erzählperspektiven getragen werden, hat jede Figur eine eigene Erzählstimme, die zu der jeweiligen Person passt.
Ich liebe außerdem die Art der Repräsentation, die dieses Buch abbildet. Da ist der Roman ein tolles Beispiel dafür, wie gute und organische Repräsentation aussieht.
Die Handlung ist klug konzipiert. Dabei muss ich jedoch sagen, dass ich manchmal die Orientierung verloren habe, wer nun wie involviert ist und welche Aufgabe hat. Alle waren hin und wieder verwirrt, mich eingeschlossen. Am Ende haben mich die dichten Dialoge und fesselnden Szenen aber immer wieder schnell zurĂĽckgezogen.
Jetzt, wo wir die Figuren und ihre Fähigkeiten kennen (und lieben), habe ich die Hoffnung, dass Band 2 noch eine Schippe drauflegen kann. Ich bin gespannt, wo es die Figuren jetzt hinführt, nachdem sie damit konfrontiert wurden, dass das was sie immer wollten nicht zwangsweise dem entspricht, was sie tatsächlich brauchen. Es gibt neue Ziele, gelernte Lektionen und brenzlige Hindernisse und ich freue mich darauf zu erfahren, wie die Autorin diese in Crooked Kingdom verarbeitet.
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Sexism, Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Child death, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pandemic/Epidemic, Physical abuse, Racism, and Torture
david_slack110507'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
4.5
One of the main enticements of this book for me was the characters and I'm glad to say that the characters, at least our main group of 6, all were incredibly well-written and developed. I think their connections as a group as well as intergroup connections with one another were so well done. I loved them all - Kaz, Inej, Jesper, Wylan, Nina, and Matthias - and I found that I was never once bored when it shifted to either one of their perspectives which I'm really glad this book did as everyone had a unique character background which explained why they were doing what they were doing as well as having unique perspectives on the heist that lay ahead of them.
Speaking of the heist, I found that the heist as the plot was actually really strong, and it helped move the book along at a brisk but nice pace allowing for moments to breathe before the next one arrived. I found the pre-planning and the constant shift in plan when something unaccounted for happened or when something wrong took place was extremely enjoyable and it was really good to see these characters constantly face change during their heist on the Ice Court and adapt the best that they could.
I also really liked seeing the world beyond Ravka and the Grisha's perspective as that was something that, now looking back on it, was missing from the Shadow and Bone books so it was interesting to see what the Fjerdans/Fjerda thinks of Grisha and vice versa as well as seeing the story set in a place of less elegance and extravagance than Ravka with East Stave and the 'Barrel'. It also built upon Grisha magic with the introduction of Jurda Parem, a drug that allows Grisha to do unimaginable things that break the previous limits of their power; I do wish we had gotten to see more of it but I also think that what we saw did demonstrate well enough why it was so dangerous to the world and why it was imperative that this not fall into the wrong hands.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this even if it did take me a lot longer than I wanted to but I found it to be a huge step up from the Shadow and Bone books and the next book is rated even better so I can't even imagine how good of a treat that'll be which I'm hoping to get around to relatively soon as I try and finish up the other books I have on the go. I'm interested in seeing whether or not the next book, Crooked Kingdom, will resolve the cliffhanger off screen (or off the page in this instance, with explanations in the form of exposition spread throughout to explain it) or whether it will start the book and wrap it up relatively quickly to then go onto the actual plot of that book but I guess only time will tell.
Graphic: Blood, Slavery, Kidnapping, Death, Violence, Trafficking, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Drug abuse, Child death, Confinement, Sexual assault, Torture, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Chronic illness, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, Ableism, Cursing, Drug use, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Abandonment, Addiction, and Rape
Minor: Classism, Medical content, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Sexual content, and Alcohol
sebwayne84'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
Graphic: Hate crime, Fire/Fire injury, Slavery, Gore, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Racism, Violence, Sexual assault, and Trafficking
axel_p's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Minor: Genocide, Gun violence, Racism, Trafficking, Drug abuse, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Rape, Violence, War, Xenophobia, Death, Mental illness, Misogyny, Torture, Vomit, Sexism, Abandonment, Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Confinement, Slavery, Alcohol, Body horror, Body shaming, Grief, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Medical content, and Murder
alexiconic'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
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Murder, Sexual assault, Violence, Death, Drug use, Drug abuse, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Slavery, Abandonment, Classism, Colonisation, Confinement, Emotional abuse, War, and Addiction
caitlineliza'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? No
4.5
Graphic: Classism, Medical trauma, Animal death, Abandonment, Gore, Murder, Violence, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, and War
Moderate: Drug use and Misogyny
maslana's review against another edition
5.0
Moderate: Physical abuse, Blood, Gun violence, Violence, Hate crime, Addiction, and Mass/school shootings