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michaelmarshall'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
5.0
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Rape
ekcd_'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? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Excrement, Sexual content, Torture, Alcohol, Body horror, Death, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Cursing, Gore, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, Abandonment, Misogyny, Rape, and Vomit
felofhe'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
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Classism, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, and Torture
dragonaion's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
... I was disappointed. The previous romance in the last book was passionate, communicative, balanced, and heartfelt in every sense of the word. Women as a whole in the previous novels were a sight to behold, and truly made me (a female reader) see them as true equals to the men. Even if they died, they were majestic and were taken by Aza Guilla in the epitome grace. Sabetha pales in comparison; she feels like a girl so desperate to be the queen bee that she fails to see how she can embetter Locke and the other Bastards while still shining beside them, as best shown by Locke and Jean. She works alone now because she was jealous and afraid of being in the Bastards' shadows. While understandable, she is flighty, spooked by her own shadow (not to mention a heartfelt relationship), and I feel she actually brought Locke and Jean down, which does not validate her reasons. She could have been the "Rose of Camorr", but I can see how Locke grew into and became the "Thorn of Camorr" while her works stayed "petty" (as far as we know) and theatrical. The scheme she, Locke, and Jean completed seemed juvenile and lacking gravitas when compared to the previous book where they knowingly crippled a political empire- headfirst.
As a whole, if she were replaced with some other phantom, it wouldn't have diminished the story at all and might have given inspiration for the Bastards' genius. Even my romance fix was sated,
I also was disappointed to have an epic history about Locke suddenly (seriously, bad timing) dropped in; he didn't need his past explained, he simply was, and that's what made him amazing. He turned from a relatable, average guy who gets in above his head (brilliantly!) with lovable foibles (perfect for the Crooked Warden in every way) to some epic magically made entity- that did not better him or the story. Lastly, I would have appreciated more closure with the group as they returned to Chains, their escapades was worth a casual retelling to their benefactor.
This book does not read like an ending, and as the author expertly laces the past with the present, this is a book starting to lace a new future for us readers to enjoy. I'll definitely be in line for a copy, my thoughts of Sabetha aside, and hope to see more clever and thought through schemes that are worthy of the Bastards.
Edit: Just found that book #4, "The Thorn of Emberlain" will be released (as of 5/10/23) in Feb '24 and there are a total of seven books in the series. I'm glad this isn't the end, but I'm worried it might feel like the end of the series.
Edit 2: I've found another book that is a sibling-story to this, but Nevernight by Jay Kristoff shows precisely what Sabetha was trying to be. Mia's surpassed this older woman with flying colors at almost half her age. If you enjoyed The Lies of Locke Lamora, you will absolutely feel right at home with Nevernight.
Graphic: Alcohol, Death, Blood, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual content, Rape, Sexual violence, Vomit, Murder, Body horror, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Body shaming and Misogyny
While not an actively combatheavy book, unlike the previous two, there are still some trademark violent and adult themes.foxmulders'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
5.0
Graphic: Sexual violence
Moderate: Alcohol, Animal death, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Murder, Rape, and Fire/Fire injury
corvicore's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
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Started off strong but what the FUCK was that twist and ending - Stuff that got set up and went nowhere:
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Locke’s near death experience and his conversation with Bug -
Sabetha feeling unheard by the rest of the team and disliking Locke stepping up as leader -
Jean. like all of him. He was sidelined so hard and for why -
ezri :( her death feels meaningless -
regal??? Why? The fuck? Did you take away my one joy and love ? like ugh this is part of a wider issue i have with the series where it feels like jean and locke are never allowed to grow their gang and whenever they do the plot forcibly isolates them (calo/galdo bug getting offed in the first book, ezri getting offed in the second book, regal being completely ignored at the start of the third and sabetha leaving at the end) -
It’s one thing to create an episodic series with a status quo and it’s another thing to ignore the logical conclusion to these character arcs
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I wish I liked sabetha better. Five year game beth was the classic (overdone) femme fatale and teenage sabetha was an unlikable bitch. -
I get that the theater story is about the gentlemen bastards being awful teenagers who need to stop being awful teenagers but it doesn’t work with sabetha because we don’t have any prior first impressions of her. With Locke Jean and the twins we got to know them in the first book so we’re more forgiving of their assholery; of course they’re being dicks, they’re teens! We know that they’ll mellow out into the characters that we love. We don’t have any of that prior experience with Sabetha, so her cruelty is less forgivable. And to make matters worse, her adult version is flatter than a wooden board so it’s not like I can even look forward to her present interactions with Locke. SPEAKING OF LOCKE
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Why. just. -
why? -
The reason why I liked Locke so much was because he was a nobody, a nameless Catchfire orphan who stole his way into a better life. This whole Lamor Acanthus thing kind of ruins that for me. I’m sick of chosen ones. I’m sick of magical drama. Just give me a plain old bastard with some plain old bastardly plans and im happy. -
Politics are too fucking boring man. I wish there was more espionage and roguery -
I did like seeing calo and galdo again! Miss those two </3 -
what was up with the weird ass night-skinned stuff this book? last book had people of colour in it and it wasn't a big deal, it feels immersion breaking. on top of that, are we not going to talk about how the theatre plot line was resolved by framing a black man for murder? like hi how did that get into print.
Graphic: Blood, Classism, Death, Excrement, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Violence, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Vomit
Moderate: Murder, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Racism, Bullying, Fatphobia, Classism, and Child abuse
Minor: Medical content, Racism, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, and Pregnancy
delfinmac's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Cursing and Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Classism, Violence, Drug use, Murder, Child death, Addiction, Drug abuse, Sexism, Misogyny, and Death
Minor: Racism, Sexual assault, Rape, War, Vomit, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, and Fire/Fire injury
jupitermond'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
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Child abuse, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Sexual assault and Rape