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riverleafing's review
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Medical trauma, Pandemic/Epidemic, Death, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content
readerette'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
3.5
I enjoyed shifting the sibling conflict to the younger brother wanting the older sibling to use their magic to help him transition fully to his preferred gender from pettier types of sibling fights, but that also got pretty old after a while because it just made the little brother seem whiny and inconsiderate of the long hours Firuze put in at the clinic helping the sick and dying, which also paid for their house and food. The brother's transition is obviously important, but it was like he expected his sibling to do a dangerous magical practice off the cuff, which just seemed strange given how many times they talked about its risks and how Firuze's magic needed to stay hidden because revealing it could get them imprisoned or sent away.
The audiobook was narrated well but because I'm not as familiar with Persian names I found myself wishing I were reading the physical or digital book so I could see spellings.
Graphic: Blood and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cursing and Racism
kelseak96'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? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Gore, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical trauma
trickphoenix's review
- 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
2.5
There were way too many plots going on for a novella, and I felt they didn't get enough time individually to develop. The medical mystery itself I found compelling and it kept me going through the rest, but the interpersonal drama was tense and frustrating without feeling particularly cathartic, and there was never quite enough context given to drive home any of the points about imperialism and changing cultural identity as oppressor vs oppressed, which is a shame since the author seemed to be so thoughtful and knowledgeable on those topics! There just wasn't enough pages to really explore them.
The writing itself was also sometimes confusing; I found myself going back to re-read a few lines to see if I missed some context connecting the thoughts, but didn't find any connection between the two lines at all.
I really liked the extremely diverse inclusion of LGBTQ+ characters, and the seamless inclusion of introductory pronouns and neo-pronouns. I also found the magic system very interesting, and I was excited for the setting. But ultimately I think the delivery wasn't quite there yet. I'd definitely be interested in reading more work from this author to see how they grow and improve though.
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Racism, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Hate crime, Murder, Child death, Violence, Gore, and Classism
Minor: Self harm, Physical abuse, and Torture
kayladaila'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
4.5
Graphic: Death, Pandemic/Epidemic, Racism, Terminal illness, Blood, Religious bigotry, and Medical content
Moderate: Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Dysphoria, and Gore
Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Genocide
lovealwaysadi's review
- 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? No
3.0
Graphic: Medical content, Medical trauma, Blood, Body horror, Classism, Colonisation, Death, Dysphoria, Pandemic/Epidemic, Racism, Xenophobia, Genocide, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Physical abuse and Violence
avisreadsandreads's review
- 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
2.5
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Gore, Pandemic/Epidemic, Violence, Xenophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Child death, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Confinement, Colonisation, Self harm, Vomit, Dysphoria, and Torture
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
obscurepages's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
I thought this was going to be a complex and compelling fantasy, and while this book is that, it's also so much more?? This book explored nuanced topics of immigration, being oppressed and being the oppressor, gender fluidity, and family. It's engrossing and heartfelt and just so damn good.
I loved that Persian culture is so present here, and the queernormative world in here is just pleasant to read about.
ALSO the author is such a good writer 😠How they managed to make the biggest plot twist both so obvious and yet so surprising at the same time is beyond me 😠I really thought I knew what the plot twist was, but I was actually so wrong and it's so good.
Glad to have read this for Pride Month 🥺
Graphic: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Death
Moderate: Racism, Classism, War, and Dysphoria
sophiesmallhands'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? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Gore, Xenophobia, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Colonisation, and Death
Moderate: Violence, Hate crime, Body horror, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Vomit
idun_aurora'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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Medical trauma, Dysphoria, Bullying, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, War, Abandonment, Grief, Medical content, Pandemic/Epidemic, Racism, and Xenophobia