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pandemonicbaby's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Violence, Death of parent, Death, Child death, and Body horror
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Gore, and Classism
Minor: Racism, Pregnancy, Animal cruelty, Vomit, Animal death, and Cursing
ivi_reads_books'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? No
3.75
I liked the mother-daughter relationship and the juxtaposition of the mom healer and the protagonist who was foretold to bring destruction to the world. Sometimes the story was a bit repetitive which I could have done without
I was intrigued by the world the author created and the cliffhanger made me pick up book number 2
Graphic: Violence and Death
Moderate: Blood and Classism
Minor: Racism
kitstonglade's review against another edition
Moderate: Racism
emzinator'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
4.0
Graphic: Gore and Rape
Minor: Racism
cutevamp's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Racism
bellisk's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Minor: Racism and Ableism
Racism: there is a line about it being dangerous to wear dreadlocks in the school because monsters will lay eggs in them, which echoes racist ideas of locs and their wearers being dirty. (This part is apparently going to be removed in future editions of the book.) Ableism: there's another part where the viewpoint character mentions that the school is so dangerous, and entry so competitive, that none of the students who get in need external motivation to study, which either completely ignores people with executive function issues or implies we all get killed off rapidly upon arrival: not very pleasant to read.littlebluenaiad's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? No
3.0
Minor: Racism
squinnittowinit's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Naomi Novik's story makes poignant remarks on prevalent real-world topics such as classism and privilege, through the lense of a magical society controlled by a fortunate (and greedy) few. She delivers genuine complex emotion as her characters grapple with their anger, their uncertainty, and at the end of the day, their humanity.
4.5 stars because I'm not sure if the author hired a sensitivity consultant or not; there were a couple small moments I didn't feel great about. Additionally, I wasn't sold on the design of the school in this book. Not the literal design, but more the way it was designed and how it's been handled since.
Graphic: Death, Child death, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Body horror, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Classism, Confinement, Death of parent, Genocide, Racism, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Ableism, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Kidnapping, Vomit, and Sexual content
lucystolethesky's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Murder, Child death, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Classism, Bullying, Animal death, and Gore
Minor: Pregnancy, Animal cruelty, Suicidal thoughts, Drug use, Bullying, Body horror, Islamophobia, and Cultural appropriation
polly_zilhaver's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Racism