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mightydroz's review
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
Ropa is a mouthy and fascinating character, and I can't wait to see what she does next!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Violence
bergha1998's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
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
4.0
Wow, this one was outstanding. I really liked the first two books, but this one was a refinement of everything I already liked. The mystery was well paced and interesting, the historical tidbits were even more interesting, and the humor continued to be top notch. I’m just sad the next one is so far off.
Mystery Fantasy, Found Family
“Words have great power. Through them we create reality.”
“The thing about armour is it’s heavy and weighs the wearer down. Yes, it protects you–for a while. But there’s a cost. It blinds you in certain ways too. You can’t see the full picture from behind your visor. All you catch is snapshots of a hostile world, and from that you draw your own assumptions. Carrying all that weight eventually exhausts you, and the determined enemy will find a chink if they prod long enough. I know, ’cause I’m wearing my own armour too.”
“But other people’s pain isn’t collateral damage. I can’t treat it like abstract theory.”
“I’m always amused by how historians value written records as primary sources. They’re full of lies anyway. Power doesn’t care about the truth.”
Mystery Fantasy, Found Family
“Words have great power. Through them we create reality.”
“The thing about armour is it’s heavy and weighs the wearer down. Yes, it protects you–for a while. But there’s a cost. It blinds you in certain ways too. You can’t see the full picture from behind your visor. All you catch is snapshots of a hostile world, and from that you draw your own assumptions. Carrying all that weight eventually exhausts you, and the determined enemy will find a chink if they prod long enough. I know, ’cause I’m wearing my own armour too.”
“But other people’s pain isn’t collateral damage. I can’t treat it like abstract theory.”
“I’m always amused by how historians value written records as primary sources. They’re full of lies anyway. Power doesn’t care about the truth.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Classism, Violence, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Xenophobia, Gaslighting, Medical content, Murder, Blood, Colonisation, Fire/Fire injury, and Panic attacks/disorders
displacedcactus's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
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? No
If you've enjoyed the previous two volumes of this series, you'll probably enjoy this one. You definitely shouldn't just jump onto the series here, as I feel you'll be really lost about who all the characters are and their relationships to each other. There is a dramatis personae at the beginning, which I appreciated, but it doesn't really get into what people have gone through together or anything like that.
I do have to say that the circumstances of this plot didn't really lend themselves to Ropa spearheading the investigation. At one point an adult essentially says "Wait are we really going to put a 15-year-old in charge of this?" and they're like yes, we are, and everyone goes along with it with just the occasional challenge for most of the story. I feel like "smartass teenage detective" works a lot better as a trope when said teen is inserting themself into things rather than actually being put in charge by the powers that be.
I did appreciate that the book portrays some of the potential mental and emotional health impacts of someone so young having so much responsibility and having been through so many traumatic experiences across the course of the books.
That said, I feel like this series is wearing a little thin for me. If there's a next volume, I'll read and and then assess from there whether I want to continue.
I do have to say that the circumstances of this plot didn't really lend themselves to Ropa spearheading the investigation. At one point an adult essentially says "Wait are we really going to put a 15-year-old in charge of this?" and they're like yes, we are, and everyone goes along with it with just the occasional challenge for most of the story. I feel like "smartass teenage detective" works a lot better as a trope when said teen is inserting themself into things rather than actually being put in charge by the powers that be.
I did appreciate that the book portrays some of the potential mental and emotional health impacts of someone so young having so much responsibility and having been through so many traumatic experiences across the course of the books.
That said, I feel like this series is wearing a little thin for me. If there's a next volume, I'll read and and then assess from there whether I want to continue.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Violence, and Panic attacks/disorders
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