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cedence's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Torture, and Transphobia
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
aklovekorn's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Torture, Rape, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Violence, Child abuse, Slavery, Transphobia, Physical abuse, Blood, Sexual assault, and Vomit
booksoflore's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
So I read this book back in 2012 (!!!) and gave it 5 stars. Now that I am almost twice as old as I was when I first read this book, imma give it a smooth 4.25. honestly I still really love this book but HOLY SHIT WAS THERE REALLY A WHOLE TRANS NARRATIVE SIDEPLOT THAT I TOTALLY FORGOT ABOUT AS A KID. the library really did turn me gay, I’m so shook
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Violence, Vomit, Blood, and War
Moderate: Trafficking, Sexual violence, Dysphoria, and Sexual assault
Minor: Transphobia
jacq_benoit's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I liked this book and would’ve left it with a full five stars, however I needed to deduct a full star for the transphobia that undercuts this book once it’s revealed that Commander Ambrose is a trans male . The characters who know this information repeatedly refer to it as an “aberration”/“mutation”, which really rubs me the wrong way.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Transphobia
readwithbells's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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? No
4.0
This was my favorite book as a teenager and it holds up better than I could have imagined! While the narration is a little too “tell not show” for me, the story is interesting, the world building is great, the relationships are heartwarming and lovely and the the climax feels well-earned. A wonderful, nostalgic trip back in time for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Violence
Minor: Transphobia
ergative's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This was perfectly fine. More satisfyingly poisonous than City of Lies, and with a reasonably lively plot. I liked the complexity of the military dictatorship, which in some ways seems to be an improvement over the previous monarchy that it deposed, and in other ways is, well, a military dictatorship. I can't decide whether to be charmed or delighted by the fact that chocolate is a substance that renders you vulnerable to magical influence and so must be banned, but I did love the conversations in which people talk about how much they like it and wonder whether it's addicting or not.
I don't love how the trans character is described with inaccurate pronouns when we see him before he transitioned, even though during that whole period he is repeatedly stating that he is not a woman and has been born in the wrong body. The author has him explicitly say that he's a man, but then uses female pronouns the whole time, as if the pronoun is determined by how other characters see him at the time rather than how he defines himself, which isn't great. I wonder whether that's because it was published in 2005? The book is otherwise entirely respectful of this dude's identity in present-day scenes, and language for discussing transgender issues has definitely changed over the last decade and a half, so maybe this is just clumsy, rather than ignorant.
I also don't love the fact that our young female protagonist's tramatic backstory has to include rape--why must they always include rape?--especially given that there is a perfectly plot-relevant reason to give her trauma that doesn't at all require sexual assault; and I really don't love the obligatory romance between 30-something captor and something-teen captive who is kept around because she's been fed poisons that make her physically dependent on daily medicines. We see it all from her perspective, so she certainly thinks she's consenting to the relationship, but my dear: The guy is 33 and you're a teenager, and he's simultaneously your (1) boss; (2) mentor; and (3) CAPTOR. Good grief--these are not the power dynamics of a healthy relationship! On this basis alone I don't think I'll finish the series. I don't trust the author to write sensibly about relationships and consent, or to avoid gratuitous sexual assault. There are plenty of other books that don't include that, and this one is not good enough in the other respects to overcome that line.
I don't love how the trans character is described with inaccurate pronouns when we see him before he transitioned, even though during that whole period he is repeatedly stating that he is not a woman and has been born in the wrong body. The author has him explicitly say that he's a man, but then uses female pronouns the whole time, as if the pronoun is determined by how other characters see him at the time rather than how he defines himself, which isn't great. I wonder whether that's because it was published in 2005? The book is otherwise entirely respectful of this dude's identity in present-day scenes, and language for discussing transgender issues has definitely changed over the last decade and a half, so maybe this is just clumsy, rather than ignorant.
I also don't love the fact that our young female protagonist's tramatic backstory has to include rape--why must they always include rape?--especially given that there is a perfectly plot-relevant reason to give her trauma that doesn't at all require sexual assault; and I really don't love the obligatory romance between 30-something captor and something-teen captive who is kept around because she's been fed poisons that make her physically dependent on daily medicines. We see it all from her perspective, so she certainly thinks she's consenting to the relationship, but my dear: The guy is 33 and you're a teenager, and he's simultaneously your (1) boss; (2) mentor; and (3) CAPTOR. Good grief--these are not the power dynamics of a healthy relationship! On this basis alone I don't think I'll finish the series. I don't trust the author to write sensibly about relationships and consent, or to avoid gratuitous sexual assault. There are plenty of other books that don't include that, and this one is not good enough in the other respects to overcome that line.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture
Moderate: Rape and Transphobia
ashley_a_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual harassment, Transphobia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Deadnaming, Blood, Death, and Kidnapping
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