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yulecogs's review against another edition
2.25
Graphic: Vomit, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual violence, Blood, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Child abuse, Child death, Cultural appropriation, Pedophilia, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, War, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Slavery
litbrett'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: Torture, Rape, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Death of parent, Sexual violence, War, Physical abuse, Grief, Death, and Blood
analienfromouterspace'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
4.0
Graphic: Blood, Torture, Violence, Abandonment, and Sexism
Moderate: Death of parent, Vomit, Death, Sexual violence, Rape, Physical abuse, Murder, War, Trafficking, Emotional abuse, Genocide, and Gaslighting
Minor: Child abuse, Racial slurs, Death of parent, and Pedophilia
vampire_burrito's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Violence and Misogyny
Minor: Rape and Sexual violence
sunberry'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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Blood, Confinement, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Body horror, War, Religious bigotry, Death, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Classism, Vomit, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Body horror
Minor: Bullying and Mental illness
auri_underthing'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? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Bullying, Death of parent, Death, Body horror, Violence, War, Emotional abuse, and Grief
Minor: Torture and Sexual violence
gigireadswithkiki'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
I really enjoyed seeing Deka's initial character in the first half of the book. She felt like a truly accurate portrayal of a devout religious teenager, constantly admonished for daring to step the slightest bit out of line. Over time, Deka grows and flourishes with her little found family, but her character development felt natural along the progression of the plot. All of her friends, notably Britta and Belcalis, have distinct and unique personalities, and are unified under the banner of overcoming the misconceptions the world thrusts upon them. Most of all, despite Deka's romance arc, the story finds a way to center the importance of female friendships in a way that doesn't feel forced.
When I first read of the 20-year-long contract the aleki forms with the government, I was curious about how the pacing of this, in tandem to the promised all-out campaign against the deathshrieks, would play out. At times, the plot will skip around a week or more into the future, but I found that this worked fairly well for the story, cutting out more mundane story points such as soldier training and travel time.
I think my only issue with this book was the level of description for the violent scenes. I understand that alaki are immortal and virtually un-killable by human hands, but the depictions of gory stabbings and beheadings was a lot for me, especially for a YA book. There were also fairly numerous depictions of vomiting, both as a result of witnessing violence and as a symbol for unease, that was a little unsettling.
Overall, I enjoyed this book a great deal as I devoured it in 24 hours, and I'm glad I was finally able to get around to reading it after it sat on my shelf for 6+ months!
Graphic: Violence, Vomit, Sexism, Blood, and Death
Moderate: Gore and War
Minor: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
catorureads'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
2.5
Graphic: War, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Body horror, and Death
Moderate: Cursing and Vomit
Minor: Rape and Sexual violence
teaqueen'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
I always get a bit lost with new characters as the story progresses and I forget peoples names, but I liked these characters. There's usually something about the main character or the love interest or their "love story" that really just annoys me because I don't like how love stories just HAVE to play a part in every damn book. This one wasn't too annoying, the focus wasn't on that, and rightly so. You could tell time was taken on each characters back story and they weren't just thrown in as filler. They have beliefs and experiences that made them the way they are, and I liked the progression and revelations of the last few chapters.
You can tell this is the authors first book because there were moments where a person or a place or a creature was introduced to the story and the descriptions here were a bit lacking, I found myself struggling to picture what was going on and wanting to know MORE, and that is really why I'm giving this book 4 stars and not 5.
I am looking forward to the next book!
Graphic: Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Rape
tinyjude's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
In addition, never had I imagined that I would enjoy again a straight main couple, but they were very cute and I loved how devoted he was to her. She deserves to be happy and not suffer any longer.
Also, Ixa's sole existence adds points to the book. I LOVE TINY, AFORABLE AND FEROCIOUS CREATURES THAT ACCOMPANY THE PROTAGONIST AHHHHHHH
Graphic: Blood, Misogyny, Death, War, Violence, Stalking, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Murder, Racism, Adult/minor relationship, Gaslighting, Grief, Sexism, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Pedophilia, and Rape
Minor: Homophobia and Lesbophobia