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pointeshoebookworm's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Simply beautiful. So much LGBT+ representation. Especially for my fellow ace community members. Also no one told me there were pirates!! (You think I would have put two and two together when I first looked at Fairyloot's alternate cover, but alas I did not). Lastly, Alix . . . sweet baby child . . . did any one else smash together Aang (ATLA) and Al (Fullmetal Alchemost) in their head when imagining him? Or was it just me?
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Violence, Gun violence, Grief, Death, War, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
ctara2123's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I really enjoyed this! But it felt like it went a bit too fast. I think it would have benefited greatly from more fleshing out of literally all of the characters’ backstories and relationships.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery and Violence
Moderate: Torture and Gun violence
Minor: Death and War
jasper_is_atypical's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Violence, Confinement, Death of parent, Kidnapping, and Torture
Minor: Classism, Death, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail
booksthatburn's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- 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
THIS GOLDEN FLAME is a story of exploitation, personhood, and substrate chauvinism in a fantasy version of technically-not-ancient-Greece.
Karis is trying to get free of the Scriptorium and find her brother, whom she last saw seven years ago. Alix is an automaton Karis finds before escaping, and a large part of his arc revolves around figuring out the extent to which his mechanical origins define him, how much it matters to how he goes about existing in the world.
The worldbuilding is mostly in the background and in little details, like the clothing. This isn't a book that sets out to dazzle with the setting, the setting exists to support the characters rather than to be a huge presence itself. The plot is pretty linear, and I don't want to spoil it. This is a very character-driven book, with most of the tension revolving around the characters deciding how to proceed based on a few key factors which they can't affect much. Where this really shines is in characterization and character development. They don't become totally different people or something, but rather they become more confident and self-aware versions of themselves as they gain allies and figure out their path forward.
Karis is trying to get free of the Scriptorium and find her brother, whom she last saw seven years ago. Alix is an automaton Karis finds before escaping, and a large part of his arc revolves around figuring out the extent to which his mechanical origins define him, how much it matters to how he goes about existing in the world.
The worldbuilding is mostly in the background and in little details, like the clothing. This isn't a book that sets out to dazzle with the setting, the setting exists to support the characters rather than to be a huge presence itself. The plot is pretty linear, and I don't want to spoil it. This is a very character-driven book, with most of the tension revolving around the characters deciding how to proceed based on a few key factors which they can't affect much. Where this really shines is in characterization and character development. They don't become totally different people or something, but rather they become more confident and self-aware versions of themselves as they gain allies and figure out their path forward.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Violence, Confinement, and Death
Minor: Death of parent and Slavery
anniereads221's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Grief, Violence, Death, and Death of parent
thewildmageslibrary's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
3.5
Scrappy crew on a quest to find a missing brother and maybe overthrow an oppressive organization on the way? Gimme. I love the honesty in this book between Karis and Alix. It's so refreshing and I love to see friendships built on trust. I also really enjoyed the concept of the automatons and all the Scriptwork! And, aro-ace protagonist!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Kidnapping, and Violence
Moderate: Physical abuse and Confinement
Minor: Death of parent
emily_mh's review against another edition
adventurous
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
This book was fun and adventurous. I thought that the Grecian touch to the worldbuilding was enjoyable, and I liked how unique the magic system was, and that it was used differently in different places in the fantasy world. Also, it had a big pirate presence, which is always a bonus. The character development was pretty strong; I really liked where Karis, Alix and Dane ended up personally.
There were two main issues with this book for me. The first is that it was told in 1st person POV, alternating between Karis and Alix - the alternating POV was necessary, but it definitely needed 3rd person not 1st, as Karis and Alix's "voices" were so so similar. The second issue is that I think this may have been better off as a duology. The ending just felt a little rushed, and I don't think there was enough time in this book to build up the magnitude of the "final battle".
There were two main issues with this book for me. The first is that it was told in 1st person POV, alternating between Karis and Alix - the alternating POV was necessary, but it definitely needed 3rd person not 1st, as Karis and Alix's "voices" were so so similar. The second issue is that I think this may have been better off as a duology. The ending just felt a little rushed, and I don't think there was enough time in this book to build up the magnitude of the "final battle".
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Confinement, and Physical abuse
Minor: Grief, Death, Murder, Gun violence, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Blood
melaniereadsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This was a fun and adventurous fantasy with pirates, androids (?), and ace rep! I enjoyed the story, but there wasn't a lot that really stood out to me about it. I wish that the character development was a little more in depth and that I could have learned more backstory about them. I liked some of the side characters better than the main characters and wished they were in it more. But definitely a fun story!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Slavery, Violence, Gun violence, Torture, Death of parent, and Ableism
queerly_reading's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-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
I really liked the concept of the automatons and how they worked.
I did expect for the main characters Asexuality to come up more, but it was only mentioned a few times. But, I also think that’s okay, because it was treated as really not a big deal, as just a totally normal thing, which I appreciated.
I did expect for the main characters Asexuality to come up more, but it was only mentioned a few times. But, I also think that’s okay, because it was treated as really not a big deal, as just a totally normal thing, which I appreciated.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood and Violence
Minor: Death of parent
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