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lifewithloopy's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Domestic abuse
Minor: Child death, Death, and Miscarriage
perifairy'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: Domestic abuse and Child death
Minor: Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Rape, and Miscarriage
Stopping the domestic violence is the driving force of the book, you see evidence of physical violence on page, everything else is off page and happens to a minor character.laynerinke's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Murder, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Miscarriage, Child death, Grief, Cannibalism, and Death
Minor: Child death, Torture, Confinement, Slavery, Animal death, and Injury/Injury detail
blueowl2ivy'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
4.0
Moderate: Body horror, Infertility, Child death, Murder, and Domestic abuse
amberreadsgood'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? It's complicated
4.0
These characters were really fun, a real hodgepodge group of unlikely friends and hooligans that were just so fun to read about. I wasn't super attached to our main character Marra, but it was funny watching the "normal" person in the group realise they are the normal one when the rest react to various upsetting/wild events as if they're just having tea 😆 I also appreciate the lengths she will go to to save her sister from her abusive tyrannical husband, full respect for turning to murder as a solution in this case 😎
The dust-wife and Agnes are easily the book's show stealers, the sugar and spice magical women of the book that have entertaining and funny banter and antics. I would read a sequel book about them.
Fenris is a man with muscles to chop wood and great googly-moogly at, if you ask the dust-wife and Agnes. He is nice, and I like him well enough.
There wasn't a whole lot of development for any of these characters throughout the book, they more or less stay the same throughout, but they're fun as they are so I'll go easy for that 😆
Minor: Child death, Cannibalism, Pregnancy, Domestic abuse, and Miscarriage
aoifer01'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
4.25
Moderate: Miscarriage and Domestic abuse
Minor: Child death, Death, Cannibalism, and Animal death
andreapap15's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Moderate: Animal death and Physical abuse
Minor: Child death
h_s_bloom'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
- Characters: ✬✬✬✬✬
- Plot: ✬✬✬✬✬
- Pacing: ✬✬✬✬
- Writing Style: ✬✬✬✬✬
- Diversity: ✬✬✬
This was my first book of 2024 and it was such a great way to kick off the year!
Summary: Marra is the third daughter to a royal family within a comparatively small kingdom which controls a major harbor/trade route. When Marra's eldest sister, Damia, dies shortly after being married off to the prince in a powerful neighboring kingdom, the middle sister, Kania, is sent off to replace her thereby ensuring the safety of the smaller kingdom. Fearing the possibility of Kania failing to produce a male heir, Marra is sent to a nunnery for safe-keeping. Marra is content with life as a nun, busying herself with embroidery and other tasks perhaps not suited to a princess. Upon the birth of Kania's first child, a daughter, Marra learns the truth of Kania's predicament and vows to save her.
Marra is such a lovable and engaging character with such a fun voice and I appreciate that she is a bit older than your typical MC at 30 years old. She really is such a joy to follow along with throughout her adventures giving her honest and bemused commentary along the way. The author does a great job with balancing humor throughout the story despite the serious nature of Marra's quest (Spoiler :
This book is very much what it promises itself to be in that it is ripe with fairy tale vibes but in the brothers grimm kind of way. There are occasions in which the pacing just seems a little off in that some storylines read as side-quests for lack of a better term. There also it a bit of time-jumping in the beginning of the book which I don't really agree needed to be there. I think Kingfisher may have been trying to grab the readers with a dark and spooky intro where Marra is creating Bone Dog, but I honestly think I would have preferred this book be a bit more chronological. That being said, I was never bored! The writing style is incredibly atmospheric and engaging, I wanted to keep reading all the way up until the end!
Graphic: Miscarriage, Sexism, and Pregnancy
Minor: Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Child death, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse
raptorq'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
Graphic: Death, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Grief, Physical abuse, and Child death
Minor: Miscarriage, Medical content, Body horror, Abortion, War, Animal death, and Blood
darthprez's review against another edition
5.0
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Physical abuse
Minor: Miscarriage and Child death