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cinnamonandpancakes's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- 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
4.75
This book!!! The only reason I didn't give it a full 5 stars is that some points I found were unnecessarily slow, but for the most part this book was brilliant in worldbuilding and character work.
This is very much a 'first of a trilogy' plot, with an overarching plot laid wide across the end but in such a satisfying way I can't help but adore it.
Cheris and Jedao are tricky characters but they were very compelling all the way through, even when I thought one or both of them were evil!
This is not a book to read for a simple story of good and evil, many awful things are caused by protagonist and antagonist aligned characters, but it is excellently constructed and a joy to watch all the moving parts fall into place.
This is very much a 'first of a trilogy' plot, with an overarching plot laid wide across the end but in such a satisfying way I can't help but adore it.
Cheris and Jedao are tricky characters but they were very compelling all the way through, even when I thought one or both of them were evil!
This is not a book to read for a simple story of good and evil, many awful things are caused by protagonist and antagonist aligned characters, but it is excellently constructed and a joy to watch all the moving parts fall into place.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Religious bigotry, Gore, War, Death, Murder, and Rape
Minor: Suicide
lbevs's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
tense
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? Yes
5.0
I adore this book with the bottom of my heart, but it is Exhausting. This book put me through the ringer emotionally, but I loved reading it. Lee’s writing is pretty aggressive, and while I think the worldbuilding is really strong, there’s almost no exposition so you have to figure it out while you’re reading. So if you don’t want to feel like you’re putting together a puzzle while you’re reading, this might not be a great match for you. That said, I found it brilliant, and I fell in love with the characters while staying on the edge of my seat. Also, this books (and series) has good LGBT+ rep, but no (or not a lot of) romance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, and Body horror
Moderate: Blood, Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, and Death
Minor: Torture, Rape, and Genocide
ellisdex's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- 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
4.75
Really good, once you get past the unexplained worldbuilding jargon at the very beginning. Ignore what you don't understand and move on. It's worth it.
The calendar- and mathematics-based magic system is incredibly cool once you figure out how it works, particularly as the book is from the viewpoint of someone who gets it more than most. The servitors are fantastic. The characters all feel very real within the parameters set by the world. Everyone is human - everyone has a family, hobbies, tiny details about their lives that the book explicitly says is sad to lose in war. Honestly I wasn't sure what to expect with the theming, but it's about the cost of war, whether the ends justify the means, and how governments keep themselves functioning at the expense of their own. It's incredibly interesting and very poignant. Super excited to read the rest of the series.
The calendar- and mathematics-based magic system is incredibly cool once you figure out how it works, particularly as the book is from the viewpoint of someone who gets it more than most. The servitors are fantastic. The characters all feel very real within the parameters set by the world. Everyone is human - everyone has a family, hobbies, tiny details about their lives that the book explicitly says is sad to lose in war. Honestly I wasn't sure what to expect with the theming, but it's about the cost of war, whether the ends justify the means, and how governments keep themselves functioning at the expense of their own. It's incredibly interesting and very poignant. Super excited to read the rest of the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Rape, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
Detailed description of creepy insect stuff.memoriast's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Death
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Body horror, and Genocide
Minor: Rape and Child death
annalisaely's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- 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
Awesome world building, love the galactic politics, adore the characters, both Cheris and Jedao are fascinating and entirely lovable while still being complicated and flawed. Also very cool space opera elements with battles and cool ships.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Mass/school shootings, Gun violence, Genocide, Death, Grief, Murder, Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence
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