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cecilielaugesen's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
My few points of criticism:
1. At times it felt INCREDIBLY long - there were a lot of ends to tie which resulted in so many povs.
2. I kind of lost Lyra a little bit. I get that her development is an integral part of the story, but sometimes it felt that she had changed completely instead of evolving.
3.
(Also, not necessarily a bad thing, just be aware before reading that this is definitely one big criticism of religion - especially Christianity, but also religion generally )
Graphic: Child death, Death, Violence, War, Abandonment, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Death of parent
ladythana's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death and Religious bigotry
Moderate: War, Abandonment, and Violence
Minor: Grief, Death of parent, Confinement, Blood, Gun violence, Child death, Kidnapping, Animal cruelty, and Injury/Injury detail
aseel_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Religious bigotry, Animal death, and Death
thehobbitbarbie'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
5.0
Minor: War, Sexual content, Animal cruelty, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Murder, Grief, Child death, Death of parent, Violence, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, and Abandonment
deliriah'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
3.25
Graphic: Blood, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Death, and War
corrin_takara's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Blood, and Animal death
Minor: Child death, Confinement, and Religious bigotry
r_lumbrix'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
The level of world building is absolutely phenomenal! To create not just one, but 4+ worlds, each with their own people, animals, landscapes, culture, and language—and then to have those worlds interact with each other, depend on each other—is astounding. Not only that, but each world is populated with fully-realized characters who grow and change throughout the series. And not only that, but the plot is incredibly complex, with a history spanning hundreds of years, and I couldn’t find a single plot hole. I’m not going to summarize, only praise. As fantasy series go, this has surpassed Harry Potter, the Chronicles of Narnia, and LOTR for me.
Moderate: Death and Violence
Minor: Religious bigotry and Blood
orchidlilly's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
First the good: when people said the books got too religious, I expected a thinly veiled Jesus metaphor like is found in Narnia, instead I was pleasantly surprised with the opposite. It's really quite refreshing to read a book whose religious themes are critical of the church as opposed to praising it. I found the whole 'kill god' basis of Asriel's motivation rather amusing and the commentary on the church is, as a Christian, very accurate and not without basis. The writing is, as always, impeccable, and I found myself becoming very attached to the minor characters of Dr. Mary Malone, the Galevespians, Balthamos, and Baruch.
The bad: It annoys me greatly that Lyra is once again reduced to nothing more than a damsel in distress for Will to moon over. For the majority of the book, Lyra is asleep and helpless, and once she wakes up, she becomes a nervous, clingy, mostly useless ingenue. The only time we get to see the old Lyra is in the land of the dead, and that fire is short-lived. For all Will loves to wax poetic about how strong and stubborn Lyra is, we get to see exactly none of it. There is also the matter of the character deaths. After Scoresby and Mr. Perry, the deaths of our beloved side characters begin to feel very forced and unnecessary very quickly. Asriel and Coulter's "redemption" is so short, abrupt, and seemingly out of character that it leaves a bitter taste in the mouth. Worst of all, is the romance between Will and Lyra. The entire book, the budding romance feels both painfully obvious and forced. The love conquers and fixes all theme is tired at this point, and it only works if the characters have any chemistry as lovers, these two are just about as ridiculous as Romeo and Juliet. So many questions are left unanswered that the story almost feels unfinished, which is a great disappointment given Pullman's in-depth worldbuilding from the two previous books.
Three stars because up until the last seven or so chapters, the story is just as captivating as its predecessors.
Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Murder, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Kidnapping, Violence, War, Toxic relationship, Blood, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Animal cruelty, and Grief
Minor: Alcohol, Chronic illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Classism, Genocide, Colonisation, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicidal thoughts, and Infidelity
jessthanthree's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Religious bigotry, Death, Kidnapping, Grief, Animal death, War, Violence, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, and Death of parent
theespressoedition's review against another edition
Graphic: Religious bigotry