Scan barcode
futureofmydays'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? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Colonisation, Suicide, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Cancer, Confinement, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicidal thoughts, Death, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Blood, Genocide, Gore, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Grief
Moderate: Alcoholism
sunaeri'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
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
thebetterstory'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
The characters are likeable enough, although I felt that the author misjudged how many times
There’s an uncomfortable bent to the way the book handles its war on an neighbouring land, too. It does at least seem aware that colonization is bad, but that doesn’t stop the soldiers from being called “heroes” and people who “should be heroes,” both by characters and the narrative. The nods at pacifistic worldviews rarely include a discussion of how the Laneeri have been harmed. In fact, it wasn’t often clear whether the book thought that was the biggest problem, or the fact that the Aeland soldiers sent to war were traumatized. And of course it is people from this other land who get no dialogue, unless you count mad cackling; who use incense and necromancy and have “sky-priests” while the main characters remain somewhere recognizable as England even though it’s never called that. Who have no technology we learn of, unlike this not-England, and who are the only ones mentioned to use torture against POWs during the war and have no rules against harming civilians, including children. In the plot they’ve been wronged, but subtextually they’re framed as villains and terrifying, mysterious forces of violence. I’m not sure the book going And War Is Bad really made up for that. It feels thoughtless rather than deliberate, but doesn’t stop it from being uncomfortable and irritating.
I’ll admit I was going into this book expecting rather a lot, so perhaps I held it to an unfair standard. It was fun, and it did make for a good read on the plane. But I also felt nothing during its big dramatic conclusion. I’m not asking that every work be full of complication and moral complexity, but I need a bit more than this.
Moderate: Forced institutionalization
Minor: Torture, Vomit, Suicide, and Suicidal thoughts
espiargrant's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
One issue I had with this book was that it kept the reader in the dark about certain things for too long to really have a sense of what to care about. I also felt that the ending was extremely rushed, and I wish that Tristan had had more development. He was absent too often and when he was present, he didn't have much agency in the story, which dampened the romance for me.
That said, this was still a fun, magical story with a cute queer romance, and I'm glad I read it.
Graphic: Blood, Classism, Death, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, War, Medical content, and Murder
Moderate: Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Homophobia
Minor: Drug use
kaykayjay'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? No
4.0
Graphic: War and Murder
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Torture
ninjamuse's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Death, and Murder
Moderate: War, Emotional abuse, Classism, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Suicide, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Homophobia, Death of parent, and Grief
criticalgayze's review against another edition
I *need* SFF authors, even the ones given less editing and marketing help, to work on this issue of dumping us into story with little or no world-building. I get this flies in the face of conventional writing wisdom, but SFF is a unique genre that needs that work done desperately if you want your reader to understand stakes, which I really didn’t here. Too much was happening, and I wasn’t sure why or why I should care.
Moderate: Medical trauma, Mental illness, and Medical content
Minor: Murder, Suicide, and Suicidal thoughts
purplepenning's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Blood, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit
Moderate: Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Torture, Slavery, Medical content, Homophobia, Drug use, and Emotional abuse
20sidedbi'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? No
5.0
Graphic: Classism, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Torture
Moderate: Death of parent, Homophobia, and War
romiress's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Slavery, Forced institutionalization, Classism, Mental illness, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Murder
Minor: Suicide