Scan barcode
siandee'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Murder, Suicide, and Violence
jaynovara'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? No
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, and Death
Moderate: Animal death, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Death of parent, Self harm, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Suicide, and Torture
Minor: Religious bigotry, Cursing, and Sexual violence
ronniethereader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Violence
Moderate: Alcohol and Death
Minor: Animal death, Body horror, Death of parent, and Suicide
discarded_dust_jacket'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
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Drug use, Murder, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Gore, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, and Violence
Moderate: Classism and Racism
Minor: Trafficking, Sexual content, Suicide, Sexual violence, and Slavery
rlgreen91'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? N/A
5.0
Like a lot of people, I enjoyed the worldbuilding quite a bit. It was fascinating to see how the author blended elements of different Mesoamerican cultures, such as patol (a real game!), turquoise and jade jewelry and decor, and cacao as a drink and currency. It's a nice breath of fresh air as the setting for a fantasy series without requiring us to go off-planet.
I also enjoyed the depiction of how each of our main characters felt estranged from their community and to a larger extent from the people around them. Through them, I feel like we've laid the groundwork to explore how different scenarios can affect that sense of estrangement, from connecting to others that also feel alone to reconnecting with family members. I'm interested to see how this plays out in the next book given how we're leaving off in this book.
Overall I really enjoyed this! I'm sure I'll pick up the next book before the end of the year.
Graphic: Blood, Murder, Body horror, Gore, and Death
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Alcohol, and Death of parent
Minor: Suicide
tinysierra's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
“Today he would become a god. His mother had told him so.” pg 1
An amazing epic fantasy with intriguing diverse characters. Wow. Also… mermaids! Giant crows!
There was a mix of character driven and plot driven moments. I felt like there was a lot of slow/medium paced moments where there was more focus on character development/interactions but it did pick up in some places with more plot related aspects. It kept my attention either way.
The timeline hopped around a bit, jumping back into the past and then forward into the present. Slowly putting the pieces together. The chapters had the date along with experts from in world media (like journal entries), which really added to my immersion.
I liked Xiala and Serapio’s chapters the most. It was nice to see the story through a blind characters perspective. I hope to see more about Xiala’s powers in the next book.
In this book, queer characters are accepted in some of the societies but not others. There are characters that use neopronouns (xe/xir)! Xiala mentions that she takes pleasure with “men, women, and other genders” which I assume means that she’s bi or pan.
The ending was fast and admittedly a little anticlimactic but I don’t find myself feeling disappointed. I’m curious about where the story is going.
Graphic: Alcohol, Colonisation, Death, Physical abuse, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Death of parent, Murder, Addiction, Alcoholism, Blood, Body horror, Classism, and Violence
Moderate: Homophobia, War, Biphobia, Drug use, Confinement, Suicide, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Abandonment, Sexual content, Animal death, Vomit, and Infidelity
itisnatal'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
4.75
Graphic: Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Death, Suicide, Child abuse, Confinement, and Drug use
catsy2022'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
4.5
Graphic: Death, Gore, Blood, Animal death, Confinement, Murder, Religious bigotry, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Xenophobia
Minor: Suicide, Sexual content, and Death of parent
radlizareads'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
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Suicide
nerdysread'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? It's complicated
5.0
Maybe the romance could not have been there. But it’s not a big deal, it’s still good
Graphic: Murder, Death, Child abuse, Blood, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Child abuse, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Suicide
Minor: Genocide and Grief