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scorttarius's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Child death, Death of parent, Abandonment, Body horror, Slavery, Blood, Death, Gore, Murder, and Physical abuse
shalladin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.25
Graphic: Death of parent, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Torture, Trafficking, Blood, Child abuse, Cursing, Sexual violence, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Gore, Grief, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Rape, Slavery, Classism, Death, and Misogyny
cozybookseller'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: Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Slavery, Gore, Confinement, Blood, Child abuse, Death, Genocide, Grief, Physical abuse, and Murder
katvou'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? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Torture, Murder, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Slavery, Violence, and Gore
Moderate: Rape, War, Blood, Sexual violence, Grief, and Child death
Minor: Child abuse, Suicide, Kidnapping, Alcohol, Gaslighting, Medical content, Pregnancy, Emotional abuse, and Sexual content
andie13'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? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Gore, Murder, Physical abuse, Death, Blood, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Trafficking, and Violence
Minor: Death of parent
teri_b'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
Once I got to listen to the audiobook, I made it fairly quickly through this book.
What I struggled with throughout the story, is the female main character's motivation. She wants to save her brother at all costs, even though she never ever gets even the slightest proof that he is still alive. This is just not good enough when I look at all the pain and trauma she goes through in this book in order to save her brother. At times she feels like a completely naive character who has not a clue how harsh the world is until she is thrown into it, and yet she seems to be intelligent. And these two things just do not add up for me.
Graphic: Violence, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Blood, and Gore
cc0906's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Gore, Bullying, Violence, Slavery, Death of parent, Death, Rape, Murder, Toxic friendship, War, Sexual violence, Torture, Physical abuse, Grief, Confinement, Abandonment, Sexism, Misogyny, Kidnapping, Child death, Emotional abuse, and Blood
thelibrophile'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
So much death so much cruelty, so many betrayals, so many truths and lies all woven up as to make it impossible to distinguish one from the other.
I'm happy with what happened by the end, but I'm not. I'm dreading what will come ahead. Because it is going to be dreadful that's for sure.
What's the use in giving a story synopsis for a fantasy. There's a slow-burn build-up for romance ahead. A love quadrilateral. Brutality. Mass murders. Rebellions.
Liked the book, that's all I'll say.
Graphic: Torture, Death, Gore, and Murder
fremzz'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? No
5.0
Graphic: Death, Slavery, Violence, Sexual assault, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Gore and Rape
Minor: Suicide and Kidnapping
booksthatburn'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? It's complicated
5.0
For those who enjoy love triangles, this has an innovation on the form: Laia and Elias each have two people to choose between. As the protagonists they're of course drawn to each other, but Laia has a smoldering attraction to one of the rebels, and Elias is slowly realizing he might have romantic feelings for his best friend (the only female Mask in his generation). These tensions aren't completely resolved in this book either, leaving room for this to develop more in the next one. I like both options for each of them, and it feels like there's a genuine question over what they'll choose. For those who are a little less into such plots, it's a consistent but not overwhelming thread and there's plenty else to like.
The plot begins with Elias and Laia on two sides of the same raid, where Laia's grandparents are killed and her brother is kidnapped, while Elias is one of the Masks carrying out the invasion. The chapters frequently overlap, with each narrator sometimes beginning their chapter by telling their perspective on an event or a slice of time which was just told by the other. Since they generally have completely different experiences, I like this overlapping style but it took a little getting used to. It made it feel more like they were each narrating what was important to them, uncaring and unknowing of what the other described. Laia asks the Rebels for help getting her brother back, and is placed as a slave to the Commandant of the Academy where Elias is. Elias was planning to escape, but is told by an Augur that the only way to actually be free is if first he stays. The rest of the story unfolds as Laia tries to get information to the rebels and survive her enslavement, while Elias tries to survive the gauntlet of challenges to be the next emperor (a title he doesn't even want).
One thing I appreciate about this book is that in a system so controlling and overseen by (basically) mind-reading (probably) immortal Augurs who never explain their own goals, it would make very little sense for the heroes to have genuine agency over their lives at a macro level. So they don't. They don't have control over how things will go, their plans keep working out very differently than they even dared to hope, and they frequently suffer for it. They're constantly in danger and often get hurt, Laia from the Commandant's whims or Elias from the challenges themselves. When things do go well, an Augur usually turns up to tell Elias how he's done what they wanted, yet again. It's frustrating but completely in keeping with the brutality and sheer mind-fuckery of the situation. Because they have so little control, most of the plot focuses on how they feel and what they decided to do in the small moments they do have.
I enjoyed this and plan to read the rest of the series, this is an exciting and well-paced beginning to the quartet.
Graphic: Blood, Violence, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Murder, and Torture
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Vomit, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, and Rape
Minor: Abortion, Pregnancy, and Death of parent