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qteabeans's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Suicide
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
amputation, dismembermenttalonsontypewriters's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Murder, and War
Moderate: Body horror, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Ableism, Child death, Sexual content, Suicide, Torture, Transphobia, and Dysphoria
ofbooksandechos'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
Graphic: Death, Violence, and War
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Suicide and Torture
sandragloz'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
4.5
Moderate: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, and War
bluejay21's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, and War
Moderate: Child death, Sexual assault, and Suicidal thoughts
telescopewizard's review against another edition
4.75
- the reason for the -.25 star is that it IS kind of insane and confusing on a first read, so if complex magic/scifi systems aren't ur think it may be tough to get thru
- but imho: said magic/scifi system is just so FUCKIN COOL that it makes up for it. it's kinetic! it comes at u fast! but if ur stressed u can just focus on the big picture and u will be fine, even if u gotta give up on understanding all the details right away. quoth this review from Strange Horizons:
"You know what's going on, right?" Ninefox Gambit asks. Often, you have to say, "Uh, yeah, of course," when the real answer is "I have no idea, but I really, really care." And then you keep reading.
- anyway all that said, it definitely benefits from a reread after you get thru the rest of the series. i feel really galaxy-brained right now like "ah yes of COURSE, the CALENDRICAL SPIKE!"
other notes about other aspects:
- smth i really appreciated this time was how the structuring does not let up for even a single second as it tries to convey to u how deeply fucked up kel warfare is. the red shirt kel POV chapters come more and more frequently as u get closer to the end, and YHL is a master of giving characters instant personality + history, so like u meet an entire human person and then immediately u watch them commit heinous acts and/or have heinous acts committed unto them in the name of kel command. oof
- had an epiphany: i like this so much because it is grown-up artemis fowl ?!?!? like not exactly of course but the vibes.. cheris is so similar to holly short (and jedao is similar enough to artemis that it's really amusing to me). complex magic system with lots of great techy jargon. detailed plots and schemes. and the writing style itself -- the way it zooms in on random side characters to flesh out the universe, the constant ironic sense of humor that the prose has so that no scene is ever totally bleak and depressing, there's always a knife's edge of irony or just plain goofiness. i don't mean to say that there's copying going on here (they r substantially different books), just that if u liked AF in middle school, u will prob like this as an adult <3
- falling to PIECES the ENTIRE TIME abt how incredible cheris & jedao are, both as characters individually and as a duo. i've never read the whole series back-to-back before and i'm kind of scared about what it's gonna do to my brain chemistry because i already have such strong cheris & jedao feelings that it makes me have a physical reaction whenever they say things. ANYWAY! ON TO BOOK 2!
Graphic: Rape and Suicidal thoughts
lucystolethesky's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Religious bigotry, Murder, and War
Moderate: Drug use, Gun violence, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, and Forced institutionalization
reebeee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The side characters are vivid and interesting, but ultimately don’t play large or long-lasting roles in the narrative
I enjoyed this book's premise and characters, and I'll probably end up reading the sequels, but in the end, Ninefox's potential was more promising than its actuality.
Graphic: Body horror, Death, and War
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Animal death
evilscientist's review against another edition
5.0
-the world building and writing style took some time to get used to but it’s very interesting
-idk what it is about possession/bodysharing but i enjoy it, i gotta find more books that feature that trope
-i haven’t read any other sci-fi/fantasy novels that are also hardcore war novels like this one, particularly where the main characters are on the side of the imperialists rather than the rebels. some of the scenes from other POVs are brutal
-jedao is an interesting and scary character to me. you want to like him sometimes but then he reminds you that he is always trying to advance his goal no matter the cost. it’s hard to tell how much of him is genuine and how much is manipulation. the scene where he pretended to ‘go mad’ was very unsettling. also when it’s revealed that he’s [redacted] i was like wowww he’s just like me
Graphic: Murder and War
Moderate: Genocide, Rape, and Suicidal thoughts
intoblossom'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
3.0
Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Sexual assault, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Genocide and Torture
Minor: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Suicide, and Transphobia