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lavenderfrog'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? No
4.5
Graphic: Suicide, Death, Misogyny, Violence, and War
Moderate: Alcoholism, Sexual assault, Rape, and Xenophobia
ailaw_'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
5.0
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, War, and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent, Adult/minor relationship, and Murder
Minor: Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Sexual assault, Rape, and Homophobia
ladygetslit's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I am not as interested in the political intrigue or the wartime action scenes, although that's a personal preference. Mostly, though, I couldn't get into the writing with this one. The first and second book are both in 1st person present tense the whole time, and we're really immersed in Lei's thoughts and feelings. In the third book, Lei's perspective is mixed with Wren's; on the surface, I love the idea of including Wren's perspective, but the execution fell short for me. Wren's chapters are told in 3rd person and past tense, which really threw me for a loop every time the narrative switched. If they had both been 1st person and the same tense, I think I could've enjoyed Wren's perspective more. As it is, the writing made the book feel more disjointed than it needed to be, even though most of it is taking place with the girls separated and living out their own storylines.
And, finally, I wasn't satisfied with the ending. The second book seemed to imply that there was no good solution to the problems in this world, because when individuals get power, they use it terribly, regardless of intention. This series fell into the trap of well, we need to resolve everything and then spent several chapters walking us through what happens after the resolution so that we know for sure that everything is all fine and dandy.
That being said, I do think this is a fast-paced, action-packed fantasy series that was easy to get sucked into, and it's still worth reading. As a writer, I'm not even sure how I could've resolved the story any better than Ngan did, and I enjoyed getting to spend more time with these wonderful characters.
Graphic: Kidnapping, Misogyny, Violence, Confinement, Death, War, Blood, Gore, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Physical abuse and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual assault and Rape
emmaowens'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
3.5
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Grief, Physical abuse, Violence, Racism, War, Blood, and Misogyny
Minor: Rape
prettynerdy3'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
5.0
Graphic: Sexual assault, Torture, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Gore, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Murder, Pregnancy, Racism, Rape, Blood, Genocide, Medical trauma, Sexism, Suicide attempt, Violence, and War
fantasyshelves'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: Death, Classism, War, Gore, Death of parent, Misogyny, Animal cruelty, Violence, Animal death, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Sexism
Moderate: Child death, Emotional abuse, Slavery, Death of parent, Grief, Physical abuse, Rape, and Torture
Minor: Suicide attempt, Ableism, Alcoholism, Fire/Fire injury, and Pregnancy
sarahna'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
4.0
I started the year off rereading the first two books of the series in order to fully enjoy the conclusion to it all and it was so worth it! Wren's pov was something I wished for since book one and it really made sense how it was implemented. I don't even know where to begin to review the series but overall it was just amazing to read a YA fantasy series that didn't just have amazing sapphic and disability rep but also had high stakes. Major characters do die and the ones that survive usually have injuries or disability they have to deal with and play a big role in the plot.
Spoilers ahead:
Nitta truly shined in the book and I loved all the parts she was in. I just wish Bo was still around with Merrin. I noticed how most queer characters ended up dying, including the morally grey ones (Shifu Cein) but lots of other characters die as well so maybe its just me noticing that. Bo was just such a great comedic relief and I loved the chemistry he had with Merrin. Nitta on the other hand embraced her disability and I loved the fact that she got a wheelchair appropriate for war. Just badass.
The reason why it was a five star read for me was that Wren and Lei's relationship yoyo-ed too much for me. Some conflicts were blown out of proportion and happened because of miscommunication or the lack of communication in general. So much could've been avoided and when they finally did get together in the end it felt a bit unbelievable but because of the high stakes it didn't feel too off.
I loved the section 3 months after the Demon king was killed. It tied all the story lines together and it was nice to see the remaining paper girls stick together. All in all, I really liked the series even if book 2 was a bit of a mess. Just lovely.
Graphic: Ableism, Blood, Classism, Death, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Sexual content, Violence, and War
starccato'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
3.5
Graphic: Blood, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, War, Xenophobia, and Slavery
Moderate: Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Medical content, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Trafficking, and Self harm
Minor: Ableism, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal death, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, and Vomit
freya_re'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: Death, War, Sexual assault, Sexism, Misogyny, and Murder
Moderate: Pregnancy and Rape
sunnivab'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
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Death, Misogyny, Rape, Blood, and Violence