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walkie_check's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Blood, and Grief
Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Colonisation
anntharai's review
dark
emotional
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? Yes
5.0
From start to finish I was hooked. I love the vividness of the characters and the harrowing plot. I feel the rage and the grief, the writing is that good.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Misogyny, Self harm, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Torture, and Injury/Injury detail
The self harm tag refers to ritual bloodletting, but self administered and could well be upsetting for some readers.phiabia's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-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
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Slavery, Violence, and Grief
Moderate: Rape and War
forthesanityof1's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-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
4.5
Absolutely gorgeous debut! Loved every second of it. The premise was so interesting and, for once, Booktok did not let me down. Magic and gods and traitors and this wonderful thread woven through tight, fast-paced events and narration. I loved Hessa and her conflicts within herself and with others. She is a divine warrior but so painfully human in so many ways, it was delightful to see her journey. I loved the world building and the way the gods were introduced as they came. Some moments needed a bit more clarity, but nothing major and nothing that took me out of the story. I loved this idea of a faith that one loves and relishes in through community and power and love becoming a collar/shackle (literally) and how one may deal with that. Hessa's struggle with her faith and her ultimate rejection of it in the face of the truth was so perfectly done. I thought, if anything, the ending was a bit rushed. I would have liked one scene immediately post-epic climax to allow this real idea of change to drop from this lofty ideal into a tangible thing, but that's being nitpicky. I can't wait to see where this author takes it next!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Gore, Self harm, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Animal death
Self harm warning is only for instances of the characters hurting themselves for sacrifice (slitting their palms, pricking their fingers, etc). Animal death is only for moments where an animal is sacrificed to a god.maggiemillar's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture and Violence
Moderate: Genocide
Minor: Slavery and Trafficking
readingbetweenthenotes's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Hall of Smoke is a really solid debut fantasy novel! It centres on Hessa, a warrior-priestess with the power to destroy her enemies with 'Fire'. Hessa has been tasked by her goddess with an important mission and the story's focus is on her attempts to carry this out.
I must admit, it took me a little while to get into this one. There are a lot of character and place names to get your head around, some of which sound quite similar, so it took me quite a bit of concentration at first. However, it's certainly not as difficult as some high fantasy novels so it might act as a good gateway into that genre if it's something you're interested in pursuing? Also, the book does contain a very handy glossary.
After the first 100 pages or so, I got really into this one. I loved following Hessa on her journey. She is a brave heroine and her grief over an early event in the novel is explored sensitively. I also loved seeing all the gods that featured throughout the book! It reminded me a bit of The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden and American Gods by Neil Gaiman. I love books that feature mythology and this one seemed to take a really unique slant.
Finally, I love that this is a standalone! So many books now are part of a series and sometimes it's good to just be able to enjoy a story for what it is and not worry about where it will go next or how long it will take to get answers. The author has said that there will be another book set in the same world but this will be a standalone too.
Overall, I'd recommend this one if you're looking for a strong fantasy featuring a gutsy heroine and plenty of twists and turns!
[I received my copy for free from Titan Books. This does not affect my review in any way.]
[I received my copy for free from Titan Books. This does not affect my review in any way.]
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Genocide, Violence, and Grief
Minor: Slavery and Blood