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seanml's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Slavery, Gore, Grief, Police brutality, Torture, Violence, Body horror, and Classism
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Confinement, Genocide, Mental illness, Blood, and War
Minor: Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, Abandonment, and Stalking
kaimetcalfe'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? No
3.75
Graphic: Violence, Abandonment, Classism, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Child abuse, Murder, Rape, and Slavery
Moderate: Sexual violence, Death of parent, Torture, and Alcohol
Minor: Vomit
siglerbooknook'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Body horror, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Physical abuse, Medical trauma, Murder, and Slavery
Moderate: Cultural appropriation, Genocide, Rape, Death, Alcohol, Classism, Sexual assault, and Torture
headinthepages'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? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Rape, Violence, Abandonment, Vomit, Body horror, Alcohol, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, War, Kidnapping, Murder, Death, Grief, Gore, Mental illness, Torture, Fire/Fire injury, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Slavery, Child death, Infidelity, and Medical trauma
dragonbornsandwaffles'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
4.75
Graphic: Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Murder, Gore, Police brutality, Grief, Genocide, Violence, Abandonment, Death, Body horror, and War
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Colonisation, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Xenophobia, and Racism
Minor: Alcohol, Racial slurs, Rape, Trafficking, Sexual assault, Addiction, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Vomit, Torture, Cannibalism, Confinement, and Stalking
angstifies's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
i loved the world building, the magic system, and how the plot developed; but i did not connect much with the characters, and i wished the side characters had been more “flashed out”, and i also can’t say that i was very invested in the story for the first half of the novel.
the latter 50% of the book however was amazing! it was much more interesting and i was truly pulled into the story.
i know this was one of Sanderson’s first published works so i wasn’t too surprised at the slightly weak writing, but the dialogue made me cringe several times, and the lack of female characters & a terrible forced straight romance (that was unbearable for me and had absolutely ZERO chemistry + why is a 21yo dude not leaving this 16yo girl alone???) bothered me.
don’t know if i’ll be reading the sequels of this specific series but i’ll definitely be checking out Brandon Sanderson’s other books.
Graphic: Child abuse, Classism, Death, Slavery, and Violence
Moderate: Abandonment, Grief, Murder, Child abuse, Child death, Torture, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, War, and Physical abuse
Minor: Sexual violence, Rape, and Suicide
handful_of_frogs'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? It's complicated
4.25
Moderate: Violence, War, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Cursing, Colonisation, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Sexual harassment, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
smol_bunny'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: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Blood, Child abuse, Death, Alcohol, and Domestic abuse
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
4.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Abandonment, Colonisation, Confinement, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Slavery, Torture, Violence, War, Blood, Body horror, Classism, Death, Emotional abuse, and Genocide
Moderate: Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Child death and Vomit
kirbylover16'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
Vin is practically illiterate, as are most skaa, and it comes off quirky? Especially with Vin and Spook, and that rubs me wrong. The whole free will theme and religious tones are huge turnoffs. (apparently, Sanderson is a Mormon) Vin's mentor Kelsior is supposed to be charming, but he's not. He got worse as the story goes. Maybe I'm biased tho? Every mentor, grandfather/or father figure in media tends to be manipulative.
What made me want to read this book was the idea that the prophetic hero fails and the evil rules, but that's all in the background. The bad guy won centuries ago! We slowly get the hero's journal, but the story would be the same without it. (shorter at least) The better description is a magical heist with politics and slavery thrown in. I enjoyed the romance and sexual tension, but I don't think he met latter.
Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Child abuse, Classism, Death, Gore, Slavery, Violence, Abandonment, and Body horror
Moderate: Addiction, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Torture, and War
Minor: Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Stalking, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
There isn't really any sex/skin, just one brief kiss described, some mentions of rape, whore houses, and underage sex. Vin does run around in boys' clothes and in her undergarments. Mostly for comic effect. Also, mental health/postpartum depression/suicide as Vin's mother kills her baby sibling and herself. Oh, and lots of murder, which we get to see very graphically. A shocking amount of beheading.