Scan barcode
sauvageloup'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
pros:
- the ingenuity and originality of the magical system is fab, I love the dark rituals and magic that the societies come up with.
- the plot is intricate and intriguing, with plot twists, but theres always hints that the reader can spot afterwards
- I do really like the characters, they're all so different and their own people, Alex, Darlington, Turner, Dawes and Mercy, but also all the side characters have their own motivations
- the writing is very good, with some rly vivid imagery and turns of phrase that I wish I'd marked
- I love the extremely grey morality in how we have a lot of compassion for Alex, but she is a dark soldier of a character and so is Darlington. that's never minimalised and actually takes front stage in the book.
- the setting is basically a character itself and while I didnt really fall in love with it, I still appreciated the research and beauty of it all
- I also liked how it didnt shy away from linking magical exploitation to real life, like with the runaway slaves map, and how it was never brushed aside. it showed the dark side of the magical and wealthy.
cons:
- it's a dense book, with a lot of time switches near the start, which threw me. keeping track of characters can be tricky and I definitely needed the summary of the 1st bk to remember a lot of things. the complexity if the book all comes together near the end but it takes some getting your head round and was partly why it took me a longer time to read.
- I do kind of wish the series had started at a different point. leigh mentioned it might have been a much longer series and I kind of wish we'd seen the events with hellie and Alex's introduction to lethe by Darlington first hand, rather than in erratic flashbacks. it was hard to feel very invested in Darlington's return for a lot of it because we dont get to view himself ourselves, only through glimpses through Alex.
- sometimes things happened in the plot that felt a bit random, too much out of nowhere.
but overall I did really like it, especially the badass last scene and I very much want to read the next one. (it was also amazing to meet and see leigh talk, would do that again also)
Graphic: Police brutality, Sexism, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Vomit, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Child abuse, Classism, Cursing, and Drug use
Minor: Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Slavery, Suicide, Sexual assault, Racism, Suicide attempt, and Self harm
focus on animal death and violence in one graphic scene. the self harm is to do with cutting an arm for a magical ritual the suicide attempt/thoughts are a brief mention by a side character but do come up a couple timeschristina95'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? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Physical abuse, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Racism, Violence, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, and Murder
scripturient'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
4.5
Graphic: Drug use, Rape, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Death, Police brutality, Murder, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Animal death, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Misogyny, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, and Mental illness
Minor: Torture, Suicide, Panic attacks/disorders, Slavery, and Racism
Just basically ALL the trigger warnings.aprilbethp's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Murder, Racism, Rape, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Suicide, and Drug abuse
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Biphobia, Body horror, Child abuse, Colonisation, Sexism, Animal death, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Police brutality, Slavery, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Death of parent, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, and Stalking
Minor: Violence, Trafficking, Torture, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Vomit
thearielleview'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
3.0
Graphic: Racism, Grief, Classism, Blood, Rape, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Drug use, Animal death, Murder, Death, and Gore
Moderate: Police brutality and Sexual content
Minor: Forced institutionalization and Suicidal thoughts
em_aune'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: Animal death, Death, Murder, and Blood
Moderate: Rape, Forced institutionalization, and Slavery
Minor: Suicide attempt
geiravor'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
5.0
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Animal death
Moderate: Forced institutionalization and Medical trauma
acleverduck'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: Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, and Blood
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Death, Alcoholism, and Sexual assault
dodgeremerson'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
4.5
Graphic: Body horror, Animal cruelty, Blood, Classism, Colonisation, Death, Drug use, Drug abuse, Excrement, Animal death, Death of parent, Gore, Violence, Cursing, Abandonment, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Murder, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Confinement, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, Addiction, and Alcohol
Minor: Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, Rape, Torture, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Suicide, and Forced institutionalization
vampires's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Death, Animal death, Forced institutionalization, and Murder
Minor: Physical abuse and Adult/minor relationship