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boglord'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
Graphic: Death, Child death, Forced institutionalization, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Slavery, and Violence
Moderate: Mental illness, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Cannibalism, Classism, Confinement, and Sexual assault
geekywoman14's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Violence, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Slavery, Child death, Death, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual content
Moderate: Child abuse, Cursing, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, Colonisation, and Confinement
Minor: Sexual content, Alcohol, Classism, Pedophilia, Stalking, Abandonment, Animal death, and Sexual violence
elica'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? No
5.0
Minor: Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Grief, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Violence
zarazim'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? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Child abuse and Child death
Moderate: Body horror, Colonisation, Death, Grief, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Sexual content, Slavery, and Torture
Minor: Animal death, Cannibalism, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, and Physical abuse
plumpaperbacks's review against another edition
Representation
- protagonist and side characters of color
Minor: Death, Child death, Child abuse, Body horror, Grief, and Mental illness
cerilouisereads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Murder, Gore, Forced institutionalization, Child abuse, Child death, and Death
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Grief, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, and Vomit
cleverlynot'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
4.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Grief, Physical abuse, and Child death
Moderate: Mental illness and Murder
Minor: Transphobia and Vomit
cappuccino136'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
5.0
There is a war, largely waged in secret, between different human and non-human factions and also Father Earth, who vents his anger at the inhabitants of the planet through violent earthquakes and volcanoes. Ragas are humans who are born with power to manipulate the tectonic plates and quiet or ignite volcanoes. Perhaps Ragas once cooperated with Father Earth, but no longer. The Sanze Empire emerged from the ashes of previous human civilizations and survived through a number of apocalyptic disasters called Fifth Seasons. The empire seeks to control all Ragas - or kill those who won't be enslaved - for their own ambitions. Hated and blamed for their gift, Ragas are hunted and killed or sent to The Fulcrum to be trained and kept in slavery. This is all done in the name of the common good. The story opens with the beginning of an apocalypse. Could this be the tipping point in the larger war? Plenty of trigger warnings: child abuse (mental and physical), rape, child murder, depression, forced reproduction (Fulcrum breeding program).
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, and Mental illness
mariebrunelm'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
In addition to fabulous character development regarding the three narrators, there is dense world-building. As with most great speculative fiction, the world-building can be boiled down to one characteristic (devastating earthquakes), but Jemisin has really thought about all the ways it impacts every aspect of geography & human societies, down to some we would never have thought about but which make perfect sense. In her world, magic isn't about creating something, it's about stopping "natural" disasters through energy transfer. There's also hints of lockdown and curfew and masks, which would have sounded exotic had I read this book before 2020 but now... Well.
TW: honestly, I felt there were all the trigger warnings in this book, but especially rape, enslavement, child abuse, child death, & emotional abuse. Heavy stuff.
Bonus point for trans & bi rep.
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, and Grief
Moderate: Rape, Slavery, Sexual violence, and Cannibalism
yrioona'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
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Torture, Slavery, Physical abuse, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Genocide, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Sexual content, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Mental illness
Minor: Vomit