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magnus_w_d_locke's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I'm pretty sure at least 5 people saw me desperately wiping tears in the corner of this cafe. I can't wait till my book van is lifted so I can get the sequel!
Graphic: Body horror, Blood, and Death
Moderate: Classism
Minor: Cannibalism and Suicide
madamenovelist's review
- 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: Gore, Cursing, Body horror, Violence, Torture, Medical trauma, Medical content, Blood, Toxic friendship, Terminal illness, Colonisation, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Cancer, Grief, Death of parent, Death, and Classism
wickedgrumpy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
I went into this book knowing almost nothing beyond the tag line of Lesbian Necromancers in Space and that it was genre-bending for sci-fi and fantasy. That was enough to sell me on reading it, even though I heard mixed things.
Did it deliver on those premises? Mostly. There are characters that identified as women and showed attraction/flirted with others that also identified as women, some of those characters were also necromancers. With regards to being in space, there is very limited space shuttle travel, so I don't know that I would really quantify it that way, though there is ample room for that to change for the future in the series.
This book was indeed a crossover between sci-fi and fantasy in that it involved a technologically advanced civilization (space travel, and such) but with the deep roots of necromancy that almost took it into dark academia territory. The necromancers are all obsessed in learning new theorems/spells and figuring out things in their specializations, and there are also trials they have to pass and mysteries to solve before they can advance.
There's a lot of tension because it is a competition and you don't really begin to understand the stakes until Act II and then the full whammy hits you near the end.
Also, I feel like I have a conspiracy theory based on the epilogue/info peppered throughout the book so click for spoilers, I guess:
Minor: Abandonment, Body horror, Cursing, Suicide, Torture, Medical content, Murder, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Cancer, Death, Slavery, Death of parent, Grief, Infertility, Terminal illness, Bullying, Chronic illness, Child abuse, Classism, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Gore, Child death, Stalking, and War
brittni_in_ink's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
The writing style throughout reflects Gideon's snarky sense of humour - which is super hard to pull off effectively - and Muir balances the tone with the narrative flow in an expert and effortless way to make the Gideon-like phrases sing in the text.
I loved all of the characters, although it was difficult at times to keep all of the names and House affiliations in mind. I realized afterward that I could have made better use of the dramatis personae at the beginning of the book, and that there was an appendix!
The settings and fighting sequences were exceptionally well-crafted, and the slow reveal of the mystery hidden in Canaan House was satisfying. Each line of dialogue felt natural and nuanced. I was invested in this book from cover to cover, and I can't wait to read the next one!
Graphic: Blood, Terminal illness, and Violence
Minor: Confinement, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Cancer, Death, Suicide, Death of parent, Classism, and Fire/Fire injury
boglord's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Murder, Body horror, Blood, Child death, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Terminal illness, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Gaslighting, Suicide, Cancer, Emotional abuse, Classism, Forced institutionalization, Cursing, and Death of parent
Minor: War, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, and Vomit
purplepenning's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Death of parent, Suicide, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Gore, Blood, and Body horror
Moderate: Child death, Infertility, Medical content, Toxic friendship, Cursing, Classism, and Confinement
Minor: Religious bigotry
lisa_m's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
It took me some time to understand what was going on but once I got into it I started to really enjoy it. This book is absolutely hilarious at times and I was actually laughing.
The setting is something I did not quite understand and I still have a lot of questions about the whole world building and everything. I do think that most of the information is actually in the book but it was a bit difficult at times to understand everything. Also there are a lot of characters that I continuously got mixed up.
The ending was a unexpected though predictable. I thought this might happen but I also thought the author would dare.. I am really interested to read the rest of the series and I hope it will be easier to read since I already know the world kind of.
I also thought the book would be more explicitly lesbian since that was one of the main selling points for me. But who know maybe in the following books.
I did love the relationship between Gideon and Harrow though. It was a bit frustrating at times but also super fun.
Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Death, Gore, Terminal illness, Body horror, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Confinement, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Toxic friendship, Violence, War, and Death of parent
littlebluenaiad's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Slavery, and Classism
orlagal'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
3.75
Graphic: Abandonment, Chronic illness, Child abuse, Blood, Body horror, Cancer, Child death, Classism, Confinement, Cursing, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, and War
anntharai's review
- 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
It’s funny, dark, and genuinely entertaining.
Graphic: Gore, Death of parent, Body horror, Religious bigotry, Blood, War, Toxic friendship, Physical abuse, Cursing, Confinement, Child death, Violence, Slavery, Murder, Death, Classism, Child abuse, and Cancer