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scrubsandbooks'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
Considering the story of the FMC being taken away from her family to be one of my concubines to a vicious leader, it was a dark read and often difficult to get through but the love story was searing and gut-wrenching. The world-building was immense and the plot was engaging. I cannot wait to see this story continue and eagerly hoping the patriarchy falls apart.
Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexism, Violence, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Rape
Moderate: Homophobia, War, and Death of parent
starr27's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Violence, Animal death, Rape, and Sexual violence
Minor: Infertility, War, Death of parent, and Adult/minor relationship
pandemonicbaby'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
3.0
And don't get me wrong, I think it's SO important how we are in a time period where we're able to have bestselling YA stories with central queer storylines, stories that deal with the theme of sexual assault but focus on the victims' journeys of healing, presenting these themes in a respectful way to a younger audience. I've been having an unfortunate streak with this type of thing lately, and 2 of the last books I've read have had explicit rape scenes which made me greatly uncomfortable. I was really shocked when this book (a YA novel) had the best, most respectful depiction of it out of the 3, and handled the topic with care, moreso than any of those other books I've read. It didn't have to describe it in detail to be impactful, and fully focused on the victim's feelings afterward.
That being said, otherwise, I think this book maybe wasn't exactly for me. People who know me know I LOVE sapphic romance, and will eat up basically anything, but this romance just felt sort of rushed and not really impactful. I wasn't really excited to see them finally kiss or confess their feelings to eachother like I usually am with any sapphic couple I read about. It just felt a bit, I don't know, spiceless, saltless, like the taste of food that you usually really love but in this specific casw it just feels bland. And I don't really think it has to do with the characters themselves, but more with the way the romance was written. Also, I don't know exactly why, but I felt like I didn't really enjoy the writing style. I'm not sure what I felt was lacking in it, but I just wasn't really digging it all that much.
Also, originally, I thought all castes were human, and had NO idea there were gonna be furries in this LMFAO. That *did* make the scenes with the king especially unbearable, though, and I feel like that was probably the intent.
Anyways, it wasn't really for me, but I really do hope that some readers are able to find something they love in this book. I just really really hoped I would love it too.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Classism, Death, Physical abuse, Medical trauma, Police brutality, and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Death of parent, Genocide, Lesbophobia, Racial slurs, War, Grief, and Outing
Minor: Alcohol, Body horror, and Infertility
Unconsensual sexual acts are mentioned various times in this book, some particularly violent. There is one explicit rape scene in this book (albeit not described in detail).kemikemi'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? No
3.25
Graphic: Confinement, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Violence, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Child abuse, and Murder
sarah_sedai_blueajah'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? No
4.5
Graphic: Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Rape
Moderate: Death of parent
kairrakat's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Violence and Sexual violence
Moderate: Physical abuse, Death of parent, and Rape
cass_cgallegos'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
4.5
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Alcohol, Classism, Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Death, Grief, and Kidnapping
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Infertility, Confinement, Blood, and Abortion
taliees's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
Minor: Rape, Animal death, Sexual assault, and Death of parent
allyreadsstuff'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
4.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Blood, Murder, Classism, Trafficking, Sexism, Animal death, Rape, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Slavery, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Lesbophobia and Confinement
Minor: Vomit
carinaa_khl'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? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Blood, Animal death, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, and Violence
Moderate: Rape and Kidnapping
Minor: Death of parent, Slavery, Homophobia, and Alcohol