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michelleheegaard's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Interesting story. I gave it a higher ranking due to its overall story idea and that it actually went very dark. I haven't yet found many YA fantasy's that really goes there. This one most definitly does. The writing itself... meh. It was a little lackluster and felt very much like a semi-good debut novel that only got published because of its premise and storybuilding. Not cause of its writing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, and Kidnapping
rafacolog's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Genocide, Rape, Slavery, Torture, Violence, and Blood
elizlizabeth's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
The concept behind this book is novel I guess, and Meira gives off some snarky protagonist vibes which I like but then her sense of humor and the whole love triangle crash a little with the seriousness of the topics in the plot. Ultimately this made the book land flat to me. There are many trope situations, which don't make sense for the plot or character growth.
A problematic approach to race and holocaust and genocide doesn't help. I don't mean for every book to be "morally correct" but this is a fantasy book published in the 2010s, I would expect for the genre to grow past "pale people good, brown people bad" dichotomy. Most of Meira's "strong independent woman" attitude feels performative because the rest of female characters are flat and typically femenine, with Meira even criticizing them at times.
This definitely needed more time in the oven because it feels like it had potential but as it is, I won't be continuing the saga.
A problematic approach to race and holocaust and genocide doesn't help. I don't mean for every book to be "morally correct" but this is a fantasy book published in the 2010s, I would expect for the genre to grow past "pale people good, brown people bad" dichotomy. Most of Meira's "strong independent woman" attitude feels performative because the rest of female characters are flat and typically femenine, with Meira even criticizing them at times.
This definitely needed more time in the oven because it feels like it had potential but as it is, I won't be continuing the saga.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Slavery, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Genocide