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decie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Racism, Religious bigotry, and Death of parent
Minor: Rape
nelldiaz'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? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Torture, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Rape, Sexism, Grief, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Vomit
brighgreen's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
1.5
The main character is so one-dimensional and flip flops ideologies and beliefs too quickly to follow. It’s like reading a 300 page panic attack and then suddenly she’s fully formed and confident. She’s so inconsistent that the whole book is rendered pointless. Not one character acts how a real human would; I understand this is fantasy but we’re still supposed to believe they’re real people, right?
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Religious bigotry, and Murder
oonawoodbury's review against another edition
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, and Murder
jessicaludden's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Minor: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and War
zombiezami's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Abandonment, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Excrement, Vomit, Sexual harassment, and Colonisation
colorismevelynyle_88'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
4.0
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Torture
mysteryspouse's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Child death, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Vomit, and Dysphoria
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Excrement
kimreads14'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
4.25
The overall experience of reading this book made my blood boil at all times. Forna's capacity to depict a patriarchal and misogynistic world that will make you question your own reality is masterful!
Forna offers a beautiful piece that pushes you to critically think about the state of our society.
The reason why I bumped it down from 5 ⭐️ to 4.25 ⭐️ is because from time to time the writing and the world-building felt a bit forced rather than carrying you inside Otera smoothly and with grace.
Also while I understand that Deka is meant to be special among even the Alakis, the way this was depicted sometimes felt a bit borderline of a Mary Sue character. Anyone who is used to reading books of this kind will admit that the MFC tends to always be special... However, it sometimes felt like Deka was way too special for no real reason other than pumping up the character's ego instead of moving the story along.
Finally, I was a bit disappointed with the brevity of White Hands' final explanation of who she is and why she did what she did. Parts of the story could have been shorter to give this more space, or pages could have been added.
Overall though, this book was beautifully written and truly makes you question how 'free' you are as a woman in society. I'm excited to get back to Deka and her friends' story with the next book in the series.
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual violence
emerentina's review against another edition
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Slavery, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment