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julesxyz'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
5.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Child death, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Grief, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Torture, Transphobia, Vomit, War, and Violence
yvonne_cl'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
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Ableism, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Excrement, Gore, Infidelity, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, War, Child abuse, and Misogyny
Moderate: Infidelity, Animal death, Child death, and Sexual content
editorbrenna'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: Sexism
Moderate: War, Child death, Child abuse, Blood, Murder, Physical abuse, and Torture
ashleyerne's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Moderate: Violence, Sexism, Death, Death of parent, War, Torture, Physical abuse, and Misogyny
Minor: Murder, Child death, and Cannibalism
sonaea's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: War, Death, Misogyny, Murder, Violence, and Sexism
Moderate: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Blood, and Child death
Minor: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Slavery, Abandonment, Ableism, Animal death, Genocide, and Grief
handful_of_frogs's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Gore, Violence, Body horror, Blood, Cannibalism, Classism, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Physical abuse, and Sexual content
zombiezami's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Animal death, Ableism, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexism, Sexual content, Trafficking, Violence, Body horror, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Dysphoria, Excrement, Gore, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Murder, Outing, Toxic friendship, War, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Alcohol, Bullying, and Vomit
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
therainbowshelf'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? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Child death, Classism, Death, Dysphoria, Abandonment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Gore, Torture, Xenophobia, Transphobia, Animal death, Body shaming, Child abuse, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Misogyny, Outing, Murder, Physical abuse, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Sexual content, Grief, Homophobia, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and War
storykath'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? Yes
4.0
This book felt longer than its 400 pages, which was both a strength and weakness. There's so much that happens - towards the end, I found myself looking back at the beginning with incredulity about how much the situation and characters had changed. I had truly been taken on a journey with the protagonists. On the other hand, I also found that some parts of this book dragged. When the plot became saturated with politics or an ongoing battle, I found it hard to stay invested, but it was always worth it to power through. Parker-Chan guides us through all the intrigues and betrayals fairly well; there's generally enough context to keep up with the revolving cast of characters and their various motivations, but at times there were intentions that were implied and not totally clear.
The changes in perspectives were engaging, and I enjoyed seeing each protagonist from the others' perspectives. Zhu Chongba in particular comes across very differently depending on whether we see her from her own perspective or someone else's. The characters were all enjoyably complex and morally nuanced, and while I can't relate to the overarching themes of fate, greatness, and vengeance, I could clearly see how those factors drove the characters in their every decision and action.
I'm curious to see what comes next in this series, and I hope that we can continue to explore these characters and see their continued redemptions and/or corruptions.
Graphic: Blood, Gore, Murder, Sexism, Death, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Violence, and War
Moderate: Grief, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, and Slavery
Minor: Alcohol, Medical content, Animal death, Child death, Infidelity, and Xenophobia
hannahbailey'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? Yes
3.0
However, I did love the exploration of gender in the setting of war and violence. It was really interesting to watch the different characters grow into their respective roles. The subtle use of fantasy added an extra element of risk, so the story felt believable with incredibly high stakes.
Fantasy fans will love the diverse cast and character development, as well as the exciting, action-packed plot. I would've enjoyed the book a lot more had it been written in first-person, though I think this is more a fault of my own than that of the book's.
Check trigger warnings for this book as it's packed full of them - definitely not a light read.
thank you to NetGalley for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review
Graphic: Classism, Slavery, Body horror, Grief, Misogyny, Torture, Violence, Animal death, Blood, Physical abuse, Sexism, War, Child death, Ableism, Bullying, Gore, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Racial slurs