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dmrains's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Suicide attempt, Classism, Murder, Violence, Confinement, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Physical abuse, Blood, Mental illness, Rape, and Abandonment
Minor: Torture
gattolinos_nerdy_nook'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
I found I was a lot more invested in the story and wondering how it will end. It was great to see familiar faces from the first book and how consequences of actions performed across the series catches up to everyone.
There is a lot of excellent moments that grips you for all different reason. I'm glad that I read this book. It is a beautiful way to send off the series.
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, Violence, and War
Moderate: Rape and Torture
chorglette'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
Graphic: Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, Grief, Genocide, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Violence, War, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Classism, Death of parent, and Blood
tahsintries's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Classism, Blood, Confinement, Death of parent, Rape, Death, Genocide, and War
Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual violence, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual assault, and Rape
Minor: Homophobia
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
ms_sarah621'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
4.5
Graphic: Death, Violence, Emotional abuse, Murder, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual violence, War, Blood, Death of parent, Mental illness, and Torture
firesnowbell's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Minor: Death of parent, Gore, Murder, Sexual assault, Grief, Blood, Death, Rape, and War
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
schnaucl's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
But it felt like the assassinations/war crimes commuted by Wren and her father were glossed over and Lei mostly feels bad about what she said to Wren regarding, you know, the war crimes. She puts her mercy killing of someone who asked to die in the same category as the political assassination of an innocent person and the murder of innocent civilians with a kind of well, everyone's got blood on their hands so it's all the same. But it isn't the same. At all.
And Wren may have to confess what she's done to Aoki, but that happens off screen and it's personal, there are no systematic consequences. All the other families who lost someone because of Wren and her father never learn the truth.
It's compounded by the fact that Wren's father doesn't survive so no one has to actually grapple with the fact that he also would have been a terrible, power hungry ruler who probably continued to commit atrocities while thinking he was behaving righteously. Even the fact the fact that he sent his daughter to be repeatedly raped is given a paragraph where Wren basically says she's tried really hard not to think about it over the years. I also get that having her father live probably would have required another book to deal with his disastrous reign and that would probably be stretching the story too far.
And I also get that Wren was a product of her upbringing which obviously shaped her thinking and personal ethics and morals.
But the book really does seem to have an attitude that everyone's hands are dirty and the good side won in the end so I guess sacrificing innocent people was the right call? Aside from the one fight with Lei and Wren there's no real grappling with the consequences of what Wren and her father did. Wren feels really bad about it at the end. But she's still part of the ruling council. What keeps Wren and Lei from living together isn't that one of them committed war crimes it's that Wren has a duty to rule without asking if she deserves to have that power. Weirdly, that doesn't seem to be a question that's ever asked.
Maybe there was no other way but you can say that and still think the people who committed the war crimes shouldn't hold power after because they may be tempted to reach for those same methods when it is expedient rather than (arguably) necessary.
The second book at least raises questions about even if a person does the ruthless but necessary thing whether they'll be able to live with it after the war is over and I just felt like this book doesn't seriously return to the question and it really needed to.
I'm not saying Wren needed to be executed or exiled. But it seems like there should be more personal consequences than she gets to rule and help shape the future of the new country and live happily ever after with her beloved. It's not that it costs her nothing, she does lose a key ally and the woman she loves is mad at her for a while and certainly people she cares about die but their deaths aren't really a personal consequence unless say there wouldn't have been a war in the first place but the book doesn't really go there, either.
I also get that if she came out at the end and said let me confess the truth to the country it would undoubtedly tear the new government and country apart. But there's never even a question about doing it. It doesn't occur to anyone that it might be necessary except in the case of one particular friend, which again is off screen and there's certainly no suggestion that Aoki might reveal it to anyone else.
And Lei still never questions how well she knows Wren or her own ability to judge people after the woman she loves admits to war crimes. Also her own alcoholism is entirely absent in this book so I guess withdrawal wasn't a problem in captivity.
I did like the very end which talked about new traditions.
Moderate: Death of parent, Physical abuse, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, War, Torture, Death, and Violence
Minor: Racism, Rape, and Pregnancy
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