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wrensreadingroom's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Medical content, Murder, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Forced institutionalization, Body shaming, Child death, Genocide, Abandonment, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Classism, Gaslighting, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Trafficking, Sexism, Violence, Vomit, and War
kickitupanotch7'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
4.75
Graphic: Physical abuse, Violence, War, Torture, and Blood
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Trafficking, and Medical trauma
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, and Pedophilia
I thought I had the twist figured out halfway through the book, but there was so much more to it than I thought.gotem's review
- 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? Yes
3.75
Unsettlingly gory at parts, and strikingly vague in others. This would work well for someone who reads with a heavy focus on action and dialogue. Please do mind the trigger warnings.
Graphic: Slavery, Sexism, Vomit, Trafficking, Body horror, Pedophilia, Misogyny, Murder, Forced institutionalization, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Death, Child abuse, Torture, War, Violence, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, Rape, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, and Blood
teabella's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Death, Slavery, Violence, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Blood, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Murder, Sexual violence, Body horror, Sexual harassment, Xenophobia, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Gore, Torture, Vomit, and War
martereadsbooks'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: Confinement, Sexism, Trafficking, War, Blood, Genocide, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Death, Emotional abuse, Murder, Religious bigotry, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Hate crime, Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Vomit, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Racism, and Kidnapping
rocksicle'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: Body horror, Religious bigotry, Blood, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexism
Moderate: Violence, War, and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence
sammymilfort'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
3.5
Graphic: Genocide, Gore, Grief, Physical abuse, Racism, War, Blood, Body horror, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Confinement, Colonisation, Death, Sexism, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Sexual harassment, Torture, Emotional abuse, and Violence
kbairbooks's review
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Vomit, Murder, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, Bullying, Child death, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Blood, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Torture
yulecogs's review
2.25
Graphic: Vomit, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual violence, Blood, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Child abuse, Child death, Cultural appropriation, Pedophilia, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, War, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Slavery
gigireadswithkiki'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 really enjoyed seeing Deka's initial character in the first half of the book. She felt like a truly accurate portrayal of a devout religious teenager, constantly admonished for daring to step the slightest bit out of line. Over time, Deka grows and flourishes with her little found family, but her character development felt natural along the progression of the plot. All of her friends, notably Britta and Belcalis, have distinct and unique personalities, and are unified under the banner of overcoming the misconceptions the world thrusts upon them. Most of all, despite Deka's romance arc, the story finds a way to center the importance of female friendships in a way that doesn't feel forced.
When I first read of the 20-year-long contract the aleki forms with the government, I was curious about how the pacing of this, in tandem to the promised all-out campaign against the deathshrieks, would play out. At times, the plot will skip around a week or more into the future, but I found that this worked fairly well for the story, cutting out more mundane story points such as soldier training and travel time.
I think my only issue with this book was the level of description for the violent scenes. I understand that alaki are immortal and virtually un-killable by human hands, but the depictions of gory stabbings and beheadings was a lot for me, especially for a YA book. There were also fairly numerous depictions of vomiting, both as a result of witnessing violence and as a symbol for unease, that was a little unsettling.
Overall, I enjoyed this book a great deal as I devoured it in 24 hours, and I'm glad I was finally able to get around to reading it after it sat on my shelf for 6+ months!
Graphic: Violence, Vomit, Sexism, Blood, and Death
Moderate: Gore and War
Minor: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment