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charlottesomewhere's review
- 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? No
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Confinement, Death, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Misogyny, Murder, Sexism, Slavery, Torture, and Violence
carolinewithane'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
4.0
i'm so glad i kept reading.
while the pacing was clumsy (there are many time jumps that i wish had been explored more) and the romance was a big no from me (cheesy and undeveloped), the whole message is incredible. i would die for the bloodsisters. this is a very intersectional feminist fantasy, which the world definitely needs, and the worldbuilding was very creative.
if you were considering picking this one up, do!
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, and Violence
roguebelle's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
For frequent readers of YA fantasy, the general patterns and tropes will be apparent from "go". A sixteen year old girl faces a Ritual (yes, capitalized) dictated by her patriarchal and puritanical society. Things go Terribly Wrong because she is Different, and in the rest of the story, she must Embrace Her Destiny (capitalizations mine, here). Standard fare, but it's certainly nice to see more diversity applied to those tropes.
The religious themes are heavy-handed with little room for nuance, but in a way that's fairly typical for the genre. The story's "big twist" is easy to see coming a mile away for any genre-savvy reader, and getting to that point is a bit of a bumpy ride. The narrative sort of careens between training montages and infodumps, without giving us a lot of time to appreciate the characters. We're often informed about personalities, but we get less opportunity to see them on display.
The predictable YA romance is predictable and rather boring. There was absolutely a more interesting choice, and if I continue with this series, it would mostly be to see if the author pulls a bait-and-switch on the expected direction and makes the bolder choice later on.
Graphic: Gore, Body horror, Torture, Blood, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexism, and Violence
Moderate: Animal death, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Vomit and Excrement
monstrouslybookish's review
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault
Minor: Animal death
emerynmader's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
Graphic: Violence, Torture, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Rape, Racism, and Misogyny
Moderate: Animal death, Animal cruelty, Blood, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Vomit