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wannaone's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Child death, Grief, Sexual assault, Gore, and Death
shiroxix's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Rape, Gore, Sexual violence, and Violence
lex_situ'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
4.5
I read BL, RW first, then this one. I really enjoyed Sogolon's story more, her development, and her impatience with Tracker by the time they finally meet in her narrative. Can't wait for the 3rd book!
Graphic: Physical abuse, Blood, Death, Body horror, Violence, Torture, Sexual violence, Gore, and Rape
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Drug use, Pedophilia, and Alcohol
lanid'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
4.5
Graphic: Violence, Sexual content, Blood, Child death, Death, and Gore
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Infidelity, Rape, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, and Slavery
becksusername'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? No
4.75
Moderate: Incest, Homophobia, Violence, Vomit, War, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Confinement, Gaslighting, Pedophilia, Grief, Cannibalism, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Torture, Transphobia, Death of parent, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Gore, Kidnapping, Murder, Sexual content, Trafficking, Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Stalking, Suicide, Body horror, and Sexual violence
econsidine'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
4.5
But I was definitely wrong. Though it takes some time to get going, Sogolon is a compelling narrator, and this second book makes me very intrigued for where this series is going to go next. Something about a second book as a prequel/retelling from a different perspective is always going to be fun to me, but James goes a step further with it. Sogolon is not a direct counterpoint/pair/antagonist to Tracker, even though they have a lot of similarities, so she is not concerned with his story most of the time, which is a bizarre place to put the readers in and a reminder that there is so much damn plot and world building here that has nothing to do with the guy we spent the last book rooting for. To be clear: The previous main character of a 600+ page novel is only in its sequel for about 1/6 of it and the whole time the new narrator treats him as an annoying side character—or, as she says, “a silly slutty fool.” It’s a fun, ballsy risk to take with your sequel, and one that somehow works because the rest of the world James has built is rich enough to sustain itself without the reader’s automatic emotional buy-in from the last book.
A bunch of odd thoughts:
—Neither narrator seems to care what their audience ("the interrogator") thinks of them, and both are very matter-of-fact in tone. So I was not expecting either of them to be unreliable narrators. But there are inconsistencies between their stories that seem odd, especially as they’re not harped on, and I can’t figure out why it would be different. Am I remembering the first book wrong or is there’s some much deeper thing going on?
—The title of this book was not as strong as the previous, mainly because the actual Spider King is not really the antagonist, counterpart, or foil of Sogolon the Moon Witch. It would have made a lot more sense if the second name was a clear reference to the Aesi, who IS her direct antagonist. Which makes me wonder if he’s not referenced here because the next book is going to be about him.
—My other guess for the next book is that it will be from ( long shot ) Fumeli’s perspective and suddenly this very minor character will turn out to be super critical.
--Why is this called the Dark Star trilogy? I can't remember a single reference to stars at all in either of these books.
—One character that has yet to make a comeback is Smoke Girl. My beloved. Where’d you go?
Graphic: Murder, Child death, Slavery, Grief, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Rape, Sexism, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Homophobia, Suicide, Misogyny, and Religious bigotry
spacecars'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
I don’t read fantasy, but this is by far the best book on female empowerment that I’ve read so far. Sogolon is a queen in her own right, and I stan a woman’s bloodlust for stupid men—men who only want to own women, men who only want to violate women, men who think women are just birthing machines.
Marlon James did an extremely fantastic job on this—the observations and monologues that Sogolon had on men were so relatable I found myself agreeing with everything she’s said. It’s a feat to write something so empowering when you’re not a woman, and not going through what we have to endure.
I’m left breathless by the end of this book, and I can’t emphasise how much I admire and love Sogolon for all that she’s been through and all that she does as the Moon Witch.
Read this, please, especially if you’re a woman. I guarantee that it won’t be disappointing at all.
Graphic: Violence, Sexism, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Death, Blood, Rape, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Grief, Hate crime, Gore, Domestic abuse, Murder, Sexual violence, and Child death
annemaries_shelves'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
4.25
I enjoyed this a LOT more than Tracker's perspective - Sologon the Moon Witch was a compelling character who was consistent in her characterization - stubborn, quick to anger, violent, intense in all emotions, and unwilling to take anyone's shit (or advice, to her own detriment).
I was impressed with how James wrote her - she was a lot more realistic than many male fantasy writer's female characters. She actually talks about her period (moonblood), expresses frustration with how stupid men are and how unfair and unjust the world is to women, and has her own interests outside of a husband and children (both of which she does have). She's not perfect - frustrating, sometimes veers towards homophobic in her comments/thoughts about Tracker, violent, rude, but always compelling.
The world is just as violent, misogynistic, and brutal - rape, witch hunts, and murder are still common, everyday occurrences. We follow Sogolon through at least 170+ years of her life, with a more sequential story than BLRW. Characters from the first book really only show up 500 pages in, and as expected, there are discrepancies between Tracker's versions of events and Sogolon's. Particularly around the Aesi - who is only slightly less mysterious in this novel and altogether more terrifying as you learn more his backstory (mostly through interactions with our protagonist).
Overall, I really enjoyed this story and it flew by in comparison to BLRW. Sogolon had so many great moments of insight and power, and her impact on the woman of this fantasy world is undeniable. There's still a lot left to uncover across the main plot, which I hope will be revealed in the final book, whenever that's published.
CW: rape, torture, sexism and misogyny, slavery/enslavement, domestic and child abuse, blood and gore, witch hunts, bestiality (consensual this time, for what that's worth...), child death, grief, pregnancy and birth, pedophilia, and I'm sure others that I can't remember after 650 pages.
Graphic: Pregnancy, Slavery, Blood, Gore, Grief, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Violence, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Rape, Child death, Death, and Sexism
Moderate: Pedophilia, Homophobia, and Torture
tonybz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Violence and War
Moderate: Sexual content, Gore, and Kidnapping
ronpayne'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
4.0
Graphic: Rape, Slavery, Sexual violence, Sexism, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Murder, Medical trauma, Child abuse, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Domestic abuse, Confinement, Body horror, Violence, Gore, Physical abuse, Cursing, Classism, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, and Vomit