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lordbags's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Fire/Fire injury
kimia_hyperfocuser's review
adventurous
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I'm glad I followed my curiosity and read this, assassin nun training school is an intriguing setting that could have easily been ruined with overdone tropes and cheesiness. Luckily, it wasn't!
The world building is so creative, and it gives the story such bitter grey vibes. It's set in the distant future when the Sun is not as hot anymore, so the earth is covered with ice except a narrows corridor along the equator. Aliens landed on earth at some point and mixed with humans, which is how we get the magic system. I also loved the combination of the magic system and the theology of the Path. Very original.
The LGBTQ representation is also my favorite kind: casual. The same sex couples are just there, not fetishized but also not hidden. They don't get persecuted within the world of the story (I can forgive the implausibility of an agricultural society not being patriarchal), and their relationship has a role in the plot without taking over their entire characters.
Also, am I reading too much into this or is Nona, the main character, neurodivergent? She's bad with people, she zones out in class, and it annoys her that something square-shaped is called "the ring". It may just be that the writer is trying to give her quirks, tho.
Some things I didn't like: how thebetryal for money was so obviously going to happen. The clues were so in-your-face that I thought it was definitely a red herring, but nope. Also there are some plot necessities that I just can't get with, like how adults have important conversations right in front of children, or how Dumbledore the trustworthy dependable adult just happens to be unavailable when the children finally decide to go to them with their crisis.
Other than that, though, I'm looking forward to book 2.
The world building is so creative, and it gives the story such bitter grey vibes. It's set in the distant future when the Sun is not as hot anymore, so the earth is covered with ice except a narrows corridor along the equator. Aliens landed on earth at some point and mixed with humans, which is how we get the magic system. I also loved the combination of the magic system and the theology of the Path. Very original.
The LGBTQ representation is also my favorite kind: casual. The same sex couples are just there, not fetishized but also not hidden. They don't get persecuted within the world of the story (I can forgive the implausibility of an agricultural society not being patriarchal), and their relationship has a role in the plot without taking over their entire characters.
Also, am I reading too much into this or is Nona, the main character, neurodivergent? She's bad with people, she zones out in class, and it annoys her that something square-shaped is called "the ring". It may just be that the writer is trying to give her quirks, tho.
Some things I didn't like: how the
Other than that, though, I'm looking forward to book 2.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Blood, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Slavery
alexture's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- 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
Une lecture très agréable - le monde est bien construit, l'histoire est bien racontée (ce qui n'est pas toujours évident quand on a une narratrice de douze ans), l'histoire est intéressante.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Torture, Toxic friendship, and Violence
Moderate: Ableism
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