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noelpaige'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: Confinement, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Pregnancy, Addiction, and Murder
Minor: Homophobia
rat_girly's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Genocide, Death, Misogyny, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Sexism, Hate crime, Colonisation, Blood, Child death, War, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Violence, Grief, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Homophobia, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, and Classism
lvjysunday'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: Death, Confinement, Drug abuse, Murder, Physical abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Abandonment, Pregnancy, and War
lqvekanej's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Violence, Religious bigotry, Sexism, War, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Child death, Confinement, Murder, and Genocide
Moderate: Classism, Xenophobia, Abandonment, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Homophobia
lanid's review
- 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: Fire/Fire injury, Body horror, and Confinement
Moderate: Child death, Gore, Grief, Misogyny, Violence, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Bullying, Death, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Terminal illness, and Forced institutionalization
maryjmcc'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
Moderate: Misogyny, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Violence, and Pregnancy
rexpostfacto'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: Blood, Child death, Death, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Pregnancy, War, Xenophobia, Confinement, Religious bigotry, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Ableism
readwithria'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
4.0
I loved the moral complexities, the complex worldbuilding, the magic, and the politics. The characters were a bit hit or miss for me at first, but as I continued to get to know them I grew to love them as well. I particularly enjoyed Rao, but of course, I also loved Priya and Malini.
It's hard for me to say what made this book a four star read for me and not higher. It might be because I was in a bit of a slump as I read the first half of the book, but I didn't get the *vibes* that I get with a five star book. I will definitely be continuing with the series, and will be grabbing The Oleander Sword soon!
Graphic: Murder, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, and Death
serenedancer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
I really liked the characters and their relationships, how they played off each other. It also explored the politics of revolutions and how different people can want the same goal but won't take the same path.
There are many morally grey characters so if that's an issue, I would suggest against the book. Also, there are many moving parts so make sure to be aware of that.
Overall, I'd recommend both the written and the audiobook. Especially for pronunciations. But overall it's a very well done audiobook.
Graphic: Pregnancy, Racism, Violence, Child abuse, Colonisation, and Sexism
Minor: Abandonment
seabanshee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This isn’t a bad book by any means. Many people adore the pacing and characterizations whereas I felt that nothing was happening for 70% of the book. I rated it higher than what I intended because there were some parts that I really enjoyed, and I thought the creative execution was stunning. And subjectively, I don’t think this book deserves a 1 or 2 star rating because it’s a great book for what it is.
Characters
Priya’s a great protagonist. She’s clever, kind-hearted, determined to do what she feels is right despite others telling her she’s wrong, and just fierce. She’s a survivor with a rich yet traumatic pass, and her conflict between past, present, and future is an interesting take. She and Rao were my favorites; I felt they had the best characterizations in the book.
Malini was my least favorite. I found her incredibly unlikable despite her circumstances and unfair position (maybe that’s the point, but it’s still unclear). Every time I read her POV, I was filled with frustration and anger. She was always lying and trying to use people, and I understand that was the only tactic she had. It’s understandable. However, having her POV and witness her true intentions toward Priya, the incredibly likable main protagonist—it’s a tall order to ask me to like her. Not to mention the number of times Malini made mental notes of how Priya wasn’t lovely or pretty appearance wise. Such a turn off. Every time she said “I’ve always been my true self to you” or “I’ve never lied to you,” I rolled my eyes because she, of course, was lying. The only time I really felt any sympathy for her was when she reunited with her brother, and he was a cowardly dick to her due to his chosen ignorance of her pain.
Rao was very likable, like Priya, and I felt his setup was incredibly interesting albeit predictable. I knew from the moment I met Malini that she wouldn’t sit on the sideline; she’d rule. I feel the course of events made that very obvious, so it makes me wish Rao’s prophecy was a bit more…unpredictable or grand? But it served its purpose.
Romance
As I mentioned, I didn’t like Malini or how she constantly wanted to use Priya, so I genuinely could not care about their romance. Their interactions felt incredibly dull after knowing Malini’s perspective. Then when they finally kissed, it felt so rushed and out of place because I felt zero chemistry from them considering their situations and mindsets. It really felt like insta-love despite it happening around the 70-80% mark. I feel like Priya had more of an interesting relationship with the Yaksa.
Lore
Hands down the best part of the book for me. The lore was crafted so well, and my reaction was a mix of awe and horror. From the rot-ridden corpses to their shapeshifting abilities to the sacred wood daggers for hollowing, it was beautifully executed and was singlehandedly the only thing that kept me reading. I don’t know if I’ll continue this series, but I would love to read more on this cosmic creatures shrouded in mystery.
Graphic: Xenophobia, Violence, Murder, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, and Gore
Moderate: Death, Violence, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Misogyny, Classism, Murder, Blood, Body horror, Torture, and Sexism
Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Injury/Injury detail