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lisabrune's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
4.0
There were many aspects of this novel that I really enjoyed: the development of the central characters who remained flowed, complex, but lovable throughout; and the philosophical questions at hand – whose pain and what violence do we benefit from as a society? Is violence necessary to counter such pain? What makes an act good – the outcome or the intent? However, I had some problems with the pacing. While I was never bored, I really felt like the action of the plot only got underway at the end. The ending left several of my questions unanswered and also left me wanting more. If this is the start of a series, I think it really successfully sets up interesting characters to return to and an interesting magic system that has potential for more exploration. If this is a standalone, I think it honestly could have benefited from being longer. Overall, I still do recommend this book, especially for fans of Babel, A Study in Drowning, even The Golden Compass, and other historical dark academia tales.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism and Murder
Moderate: Self harm and Sexual violence
literarylillie's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- 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
4.5
full review to come because I need more time to stew but this was insane and I need everyone to truly read this for themselves to experience the excellency of the writing and storytelling
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Racism, Sexism, Colonisation, and Classism
Moderate: Sexual assault, Grief, and Death of parent
teejaywhy's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Racism, Blood, Colonisation, and Classism
Moderate: Genocide, Hate crime, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Infertility, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Police brutality, and Death of parent
cb1984's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Really really good. It's weird because it's basically a book where the magic system is the plot, which could be really really dull - especially as most of the book is basically a mage in a lab learning about magic. But it's done in such a good way that it works really well.
It helps that the magic system is really well done and creates intere ting quandaries - sign ficant consequences to using magic, but they are borne by other people. There's quite a lot of interesting social commentary on the world they've created too.
I think the only reason I'm not giving it 5 stars was because there was a bit of a lull/artificial falling out before the finale that I didn't love. But this was a really really good book.
It helps that the magic system is really well done and creates intere ting quandaries - sign ficant consequences to using magic, but they are borne by other people. There's quite a lot of interesting social commentary on the world they've created too.
I think the only reason I'm not giving it 5 stars was because there was a bit of a lull/artificial falling out before the finale that I didn't love. But this was a really really good book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Genocide, Racism, Rape, Sexism, and Sexual violence
Minor: Infertility, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, and Cannibalism
riverlander's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A devastatingly emotional read. Loved it, but it’s gonna be tough to convince me to reread cause I don’t know if I can get in all my feels again!
This is a book that speaks about the harm caused by things like religious indoctrination, colonialism, and bigotry, and does it well in my opinion. I loved the conversation about if harm is done, despite good intentions, it’s still harm, and what are the costs associated with enabling the privileged to be so. There is also a good look into the ways the oppressed people can still be bigots, as the main character, a woman in an entirely male environment, is simultaneously put down by her male counterparts, and then turning around to be racist to her new assistant.
I’m proud of myself for predicting a plot revel shocking early, but I’m glad that this reveal was midway, and they was a lot more book to get through dealing with the implications rather than a rushed ending.
My only complaint is that the systems were almost too evil, like what do you mean everyone is super chill with the crime they are committing, but in some way sad way, that’s often how the world works, so I can’t fault it too much. No matter how sad it makes me.
All in all, really enjoyed reading it, but I'm not sure I’ll ever be emotionally strong enough to attempt a reread
I’m proud of myself for predicting a plot revel shocking early, but I’m glad that this reveal was midway, and they was a lot more book to get through dealing with the implications rather than a rushed ending.
My only complaint is that the systems were almost too evil, like what do you mean everyone is super chill with the crime they are committing, but in some way sad way, that’s often how the world works, so I can’t fault it too much. No matter how sad it makes me.
All in all, really enjoyed reading it, but I'm not sure I’ll ever be emotionally strong enough to attempt a reread
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Blood, and Death of parent
asagecalledq's review
dark
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
- 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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Sexism, Violence, and Xenophobia
iohseriio's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The world building is impressive. The author does an amazing job at describing the political and magic systems in the book and having the reader understand them before the story really gets started.
Something I wish I wouldve known before reading was how intensely colonialism, racism, sexism and classism are the main topics for this book.
It was a challenging read but it was a good read. I would read again and I would reccommend this book but know its not a light hearted read.
Something I wish I wouldve known before reading was how intensely colonialism, racism, sexism and classism are the main topics for this book.
It was a challenging read but it was a good read. I would read again and I would reccommend this book but know its not a light hearted read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Sexism, Xenophobia, Colonisation, and Classism
taystrider's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Sexism, and Sexual harassment
andreareadsalot's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- 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
5.0
Devoured this book. Amazing. I loved it. I am going to need a copy for my forever shelf.
Plot: This book is a mix of a technical magic system that feels math based with the analysis of big themes like sexism and racism. I liked that all the characters had flaws and this book explores those flaws. This book was fast to medium paced and really leaned into the character’s development. The world felt well developed. It was intense and emotional. Fantastic writing.
Overall Rating: 5/5. Loved.
TW: racism, sexism, sexual assault (ch16), stillbirth, infertility, death, gore, violence, substance use, explicit language (3 uses of F, several b and d and gd)
Plot: This book is a mix of a technical magic system that feels math based with the analysis of big themes like sexism and racism. I liked that all the characters had flaws and this book explores those flaws. This book was fast to medium paced and really leaned into the character’s development. The world felt well developed. It was intense and emotional. Fantastic writing.
Overall Rating: 5/5. Loved.
TW: racism, sexism, sexual assault (ch16), stillbirth, infertility, death, gore, violence, substance use, explicit language (3 uses of F, several b and d and gd)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Racism, Sexism, Violence, and Death of parent
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Child death and Infertility
bripepper's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- 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
5.0
A true masterclass in delicately weaving together governmental censorship, religious manipulation, and political intrigue using strong characters against a vivid backdrop.
Sciona, a prodigy in mapping spells, becomes the first woman in a century to join the High Magistry. With only one fellow Highmage in her corner she is tasked with developing a city expansion method to compete against the entries of her favored male counterparts. When given a janitor as her academic assistant, Sciona must persevere to truly prove herself against all odds. This requires catching her assigned lowly Kwen up to speed on the basics of reading, organizing, and mechanics of siphoning. As the deadline draws nearer and she spends more time alongside Thomil, her idyllic world view is directly challenged by his life experiences. Sciona must grapple with the downfall of her picturesque dreams coming true and make a decision that will change Tiran forever.
This was one of the more detailed and unique magical realism settings I’ve read. The industrial, dark academic city against the snowy mountain ranges jumped off the page. The spellograph and magic system were very well described to the audience. I felt I could probably create my own mapping and spell web after reading. The character development and interactions gave me a lot to think about. I would recommend this as a strong fantasy standalone with heavy themes that make you reflect on real world systems.
Sciona, a prodigy in mapping spells, becomes the first woman in a century to join the High Magistry. With only one fellow Highmage in her corner she is tasked with developing a city expansion method to compete against the entries of her favored male counterparts. When given a janitor as her academic assistant, Sciona must persevere to truly prove herself against all odds. This requires catching her assigned lowly Kwen up to speed on the basics of reading, organizing, and mechanics of siphoning. As the deadline draws nearer and she spends more time alongside Thomil, her idyllic world view is directly challenged by his life experiences. Sciona must grapple with the downfall of her picturesque dreams coming true and make a decision that will change Tiran forever.
This was one of the more detailed and unique magical realism settings I’ve read. The industrial, dark academic city against the snowy mountain ranges jumped off the page. The spellograph and magic system were very well described to the audience. I felt I could probably create my own mapping and spell web after reading. The character development and interactions gave me a lot to think about. I would recommend this as a strong fantasy standalone with heavy themes that make you reflect on real world systems.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Religious bigotry