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lizziaha's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
My main qualm with this book is that survival stories just aren’t really my thing. Luckily for me, there were other parts to this book. I particularly loved Hava’s relationships with Jacky, Linny, and Giddon. Something about the way that Hava is always expecting to be ignored or rejected and then someone (usually Giddon or Linny and sometimes Bitterblue) comes along and proves her wrong is so compelling. I love that even though there’s a broad cast of characters, each one feels distinct, and their personalities are complex, even if they don’t play a huge role in the book. The blue foxes are such a wonderful addition to the story and the way the audiobook narrator voiced them just made them so adorable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Abandonment, Murder, Animal cruelty, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Death of parent
Moderate: Kidnapping, Blood, Gore, Trafficking, Drug use, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Grief, Homophobia, and Rape
Minor: Sexism, Misogyny, Torture, and Classism
dragongirl271's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
Moderate: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Death, and Animal cruelty
Minor: Death of parent, Sexual assault, and Domestic abuse
bri_morgan's review
adventurous
emotional
reflective
slow-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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Grief, Animal death, and Confinement
keikyu's review
adventurous
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Grief, Physical abuse, and Animal cruelty
elskabee's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I want to thank Kristin Cashore. Mildly TMI, I have chronically dry eyes due to allergies. I'm talking eyelids feeling like sandpaper, eyedrops only working for like one singular minute before they're dry again, desert level dry eyes. So this book was exactly the kind of relief I needed since I was tearing up on a near constant basis Every. Single. 'my girl' had me misty
This is a relatively plotless book, but that's a good thing because the time spent on character development was more than enough to hold my attention. Hava is proof that a good, well-written character is not necessarily a likeable character (though I loved her), as she struggles to interact with others in conventional ways and often expects the worst intentions even without evidence. But of course she isn't mean and rude for no reason, the events in her life preceding this book make hating her even in her brattiest moments impossible. People see the good in her that she struggles to see in herself, and her journey to connect genuinely with those around her is heartbreaking and heartwarming simultaneously.
Also WOW the entirety of part two was so tense and incredibly done! I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll just say that I love survival stories and Cashore always does them so well!
This series is an all time favourite, literally nothing will ever top it, and this is possibly my favourite book in the series so far!
This is a relatively plotless book, but that's a good thing because the time spent on character development was more than enough to hold my attention. Hava is proof that a good, well-written character is not necessarily a likeable character (though I loved her), as she struggles to interact with others in conventional ways and often expects the worst intentions even without evidence. But of course she isn't mean and rude for no reason, the events in her life preceding this book make hating her even in her brattiest moments impossible. People see the good in her that she struggles to see in herself, and her journey to connect genuinely with those around her is heartbreaking and heartwarming simultaneously.
Also WOW the entirety of part two was so tense and incredibly done! I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll just say that I love survival stories and Cashore always does them so well!
This series is an all time favourite, literally nothing will ever top it, and this is possibly my favourite book in the series so far!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Death of parent and Grief
erimore's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
5.0
I’ve been in love with the Graceling books since I first read them in high school. Always so happy to go back into this world and this book doesn’t disappoint. I hadn’t thought much about Hava before this book and now I can’t stop thinking about her. Hava takes us through the struggles of grief and anger that comes from trauma (and piled on trauma) and that understanding it isn’t linear. Such cute and lovely moments among the struggles.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Grief
Moderate: Vomit, Animal cruelty, War, Sexual assault, and Rape
princessofpages's review
adventurous
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Grief, Animal cruelty, Torture, and Sexual violence
sonshinelibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. This was just as good and just as rough as Bitterblue. Cashore continues to deal with the trauma and PTSD and emotional baggage and damage caused by King Leck, this time with Hava. In a lot of ways Hava seems younger than her 20 (21?) years, but it's so clear the ways her growth has been hindered by everything she's gone through. And Cashore lets her grow without glossing over anything. Hava literally has to relearn how to think about herself and about others, to find a way to move forward while realizing and acknowledging that the past will always affect her in some ways. I pretty much cried straight through the last third of this book. I'm ready to cry just writing this review.
Trigger warnings abound for this book, but Cashore handles everything with a sense of hope that keeps it from getting too dark. This book destroyed me in the best possible way and, like with Bitterblue, I'll be thinking about it for years to come.
Trigger warnings abound for this book, but Cashore handles everything with a sense of hope that keeps it from getting too dark. This book destroyed me in the best possible way and, like with Bitterblue, I'll be thinking about it for years to come.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Animal cruelty, and Grief
Moderate: Rape, Murder, Abandonment, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Child abuse and Pedophilia
merenguita's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
slow-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
This book is TENSE. Especially during the middle... everytime I stopped reading I found myself more anxious than when I started.
I honestly struggled to decide what rating to give this book, the beggining was really slow, but I think it was necesarry to build up everything that happens later, it also fits with the way Hava sees and interacts with the world. I think the way it's narrated really differs from the other books of the saga, which is really refreshing, I find that in a lot of books that go through different narrators, they all kind of sound the same, where as this one felt absolutley different. That was a reason why I didn't like it at first but then I got used to it and even got to love the way Hava feels and reads as a character. I highlighted when another character says to her "You're really articulate about how confused you are" because that's a pretty good summary of how I felt.
By the end this book felt just as good as the others in the series, and I really hope Kristin Cashore keeps expanding on this world because I'm not sure if I want to let it go yet.
There's some really dense and hard to read topics throughout the story, so I would recomend to read the CW beforehand and to take your time if you have to.
I honestly struggled to decide what rating to give this book, the beggining was really slow, but I think it was necesarry to build up everything that happens later, it also fits with the way Hava sees and interacts with the world. I think the way it's narrated really differs from the other books of the saga, which is really refreshing, I find that in a lot of books that go through different narrators, they all kind of sound the same, where as this one felt absolutley different. That was a reason why I didn't like it at first but then I got used to it and even got to love the way Hava feels and reads as a character. I highlighted when another character says to her "You're really articulate about how confused you are" because that's a pretty good summary of how I felt.
By the end this book felt just as good as the others in the series, and I really hope Kristin Cashore keeps expanding on this world because I'm not sure if I want to let it go yet.
There's some really dense and hard to read topics throughout the story, so I would recomend to read the CW beforehand and to take your time if you have to.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Grief, Blood, Vomit, Violence, Physical abuse, and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual violence and Torture
TW for hypothermia and general trauma response/trauma aftermath kind of thingbetweentheshelves's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
3.5
I still think that Graceling and Fire are two of Cashore's best works, and I haven't felt that from these recent installments in the Graceling universe. Don't get me wrong, I love this world and I think it's fascinating. We get back to some of the politics towards the end of this book, which is when I think Cashore is at her strongest. Political intrigue, great characters. That's the magic for her.
Hava, the main character in this one, isn't the most likeable at the beginning, but her journey is one of reckoning with the abuse and neglect she faced as a child. Throughout, she's able to work through that, to allow herself to trust once again. It's a character arc that really works, and the addition of the foxes does wonders. The foxes were honestly my favorite part of this book!
However, I would love if Cashore focused on a different aspect of this world if she wants to keep writing Graceling books. Show me a different set of characters, with maybe a mention of those we already know. It would help build the world even more, and the world is one of the best parts of this series.
All in all, I enjoyed this, but not as much as the early Cashore books.
Hava, the main character in this one, isn't the most likeable at the beginning, but her journey is one of reckoning with the abuse and neglect she faced as a child. Throughout, she's able to work through that, to allow herself to trust once again. It's a character arc that really works, and the addition of the foxes does wonders. The foxes were honestly my favorite part of this book!
However, I would love if Cashore focused on a different aspect of this world if she wants to keep writing Graceling books. Show me a different set of characters, with maybe a mention of those we already know. It would help build the world even more, and the world is one of the best parts of this series.
All in all, I enjoyed this, but not as much as the early Cashore books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Grief
Moderate: Death of parent, Child abuse, and Sexual assault
Minor: Homophobia, Child death, and Rape