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tahsintries's review against another edition
4.75
Moderate: Animal death, Confinement, Genocide, Blood, Religious bigotry, and Death of parent
Minor: Rape and Sexism
takarakei'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
A joy to read. I truly loved the world Rebecca Roanhorse has created. I think my favorite thing is that with the multiple POVs you are really getting attached to all these characters because they are complex and interesting, but they are (seemingly) on opposing sides so you're just wondering how it's going to play out. I love the inclusion of a character list, and maps! the only thing that would've pushed it over the top was a little glossary since this is a high fantasy (I found myself a bit confused mainly on the hierarchy of The Watchers and The Sky Made Clans).
As always check content warnings - there are some pretty dark things that happen, in particular with Serapio's backstory. The backdrop of the plot is political/religious tensions and power struggles.
This book also has fantastic LGBTQ+ and specifically nonbinary rep. There are unique non-gendered pronouns aside from she/her and he/him. Several of the characters are queer, and Xiala is definitely bi or pansexual.
It's definitely written as the first book in a series, so the ending is very unresolved, but in a way that you are just so excited to read the next books and find out what happens.
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Drug use, Gore, Sexual content, Death of parent, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Religious bigotry
mutilation/scarring (of a child)sohva'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
4.5
Graphic: Death and Blood
Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Racism, Xenophobia, Blood, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Homophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Transphobia, and War
booksthoughtsandtea's review against another edition
Graphic: Child abuse, Religious bigotry, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death of parent
maxxdangers's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Alcohol, and Classism
Moderate: Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Misogyny, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicide, and Transphobia
shanekate's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Religious bigotry, and Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism, Body horror, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Blood, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
solenekeleroux'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: Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Genocide, Gore, Physical abuse, Racism, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Homophobia, Sexual content, and Religious bigotry
nicnevin'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? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
drinaiscold'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: Body horror, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Religious bigotry, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Biphobia, Child abuse, Death, Homophobia, Grief, Lesbophobia, and Classism
Minor: Ableism, Misogyny, and Murder
julia87's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I struggled to find all of the different povs interesting. I loved Xiala, she comes from such an interesting culture I wish I could’ve learned more about. Serapio was also an intriguing character with a lot of potential for development. He has such a crazy backstory that I also wish came to more in the end. His development just felt rushed and didn’t really result in anything astronautical. Naranpa and Oakoa were definitely my least favorite point of views, though they too have cultures and backgrounds I find incredible, I just couldn’t feel empathic for them? I can’t quite figure out why I just didn’t love their chapters as much.
The plot was very meh. There was sooooo much build up and for what? There really was nothing exciting at the end that made me want to read the next book. I understand the build up will probably take hold later, but the plot had so much potential the execution just wasn’t there.
I give this book three stars because it definitely has its pros and cons. The representation is wonderful and I feel that within this genre (and almost every genre of book) there needs more representation like this. The settings were well written, the characters as well though some definitely more than others. The world building was magnificent, very well done. The plot on the other had was sub par, and as someone who loves an explosive ending, this just wasn’t for me. The writing style was fine, however again, not for me.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Blood, and Alcohol
Moderate: Biphobia, Misogyny, and Religious bigotry