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winterstar's review
- 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
3.5
Enjoyed: interesting world, intriguing plot, great tone and flavor, characters genuinely not afraid to get dark and weird and complicated.
Didn't vibe with: meandering middle, a few of the characters I found either bland or insufferable, some clunky storytelling and truly confusing moments, prose that was way more tell than show.
Overall I was driven more by curiosity about what the gods were up to, and interest in the different realms, than in the characters. It's hard to say where exactly this goes wrong, because I connected with the characters at first, but as the book went on and I spent more time with each one, they all started to seem a little flat. Ironically, so much of what the characters are thinking and feeling is hammered in. There were so many scenes I wish the writing would have just let speak for themselves, rather than hamfistedly explaining their significance; on the other hand, there were a few crucial scenes that tried to convey everything through implication, and could have used more clarity. I really liked a few individual lines and paragraphs of the writing, which vacillates between truly evocative and shockingly clumsy.
I think the book is worth reading if a dark, complex world and plot as well as a few interesting characters are enough to keep you interested. I'll be picking up the sequel to see if it's an improvement, since I really enjoyed the last chunk of the book and the cliffhanger left me wanting to know more.
Graphic: Death, Violence, Gore, Cannibalism, and Murder
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Grief, Blood, Self harm, and Emotional abuse
fartbox'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
Moderate: Violence, Self harm, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Forced institutionalization
obviouslyenia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Death, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, and Murder
sylsbookcorner'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Death, Murder, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death and Panic attacks/disorders
maregred's review
- 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? It's complicated
4.0
Moderate: Animal death, Grief, Toxic friendship, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Body horror, and Fire/Fire injury
cassie_ellie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.5
Graphic: Self harm, Domestic abuse, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Xenophobia
iforgotilivedhere's review
- 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? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Self harm, Child death, Classism, Cursing, Sexual content, Violence, Child abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Death, Abandonment, Body horror, Death of parent, Xenophobia, Cannibalism, Gore, Grief, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, and Physical abuse
luckykosmos's review
- 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
4.0
On the other hand, I loved the character. The whole last third of the book was a doozy and kept me company during a bad bout of insomnia. For the size of the cast by the end, all of the main and most of the secondary characters had distinct personalities and motivations, and the way Sim wove them together in the last act was masterful. My one exception is
I settled on a 4 because, while the issues I had did take me out of the experience and went on for a solid chunk of a long book, I think those won't be an issue in book 2 (at least to the same degree), and I really do adore this cast.
Graphic: Addiction and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent, Cannibalism, and Child death
Minor: Self harm
i_write_on_occasion's review
- 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
2.0
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Cannibalism
Moderate: Sexual content, Murder, and Gore
Minor: Animal death, Child death, and Death of parent
memento_morri's review
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Violence, Death, and Cannibalism
Moderate: Child death