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lynxpardinus's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Colonisation, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and War
Moderate: Gun violence, Sexual content, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Torture, Vomit, and Xenophobia
Minor: Medical trauma, Police brutality, and Toxic relationship
fox_at_the_circus's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I also really liked that the main character, Jebi, didn't just suddenly become good at being a revolutionary, when they decided to join the revolution. They were clumsy and made mistakes and were unsure about, what the right thing to do was. It made it much more relatable and realistic.
And I loved Arazi! It was like an excited toddler exploring a new place, but also really wise, so much fun to read.
The relationships were really well-written, too. I especially enjoyed the sibling relationship between Jebi and their sister. Having vastly different goals, hobbies, opinions, but still accepting and loving each other without understanding, that just got to me.
Graphic: Violence, War, Death, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
emily_mh'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? No
4.25
Graphic: Colonisation
Moderate: Blood, Murder, Gun violence, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Violence, Death, and War
Minor: Fatphobia, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Body shaming, Pregnancy, Medical content, Ableism, Animal death, Gore, Alcohol, and Police brutality
Moderate: imprisonment, earthquake Minor: police corruption, loss of a loved one, capital punishment, gambling, racism directed at biracial individualsbluejayreads's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, War, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual content, Death, Colonisation, and Blood
Minor: Death of parent, Body horror, Excrement, Racism, and Torture
Romantic partner death (not protagonist's partner)laurareads87's review
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Confinement, Colonisation, Murder, Death, War, Violence, Torture, Xenophobia, and Blood
Minor: Gore and Injury/Injury detail
careinthelibrary'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? No
4.0
This was epic, expansive, yet somehow it remained so intimate and almost claustrophobic being in this one character's mind trying to interpret the grand scale of this novel. Fantastical and imaginative. I loved that our protagonist was not a warrior, not a hero (in the traditional sense). They are an artist who isn't that invested in politics and activism yet gets drawn into war.
The last couple of chapters sold me on this novel, the last two sentences crushed me into tiny, sad pieces. It was a pleasure to read.
Graphic: Violence, Confinement, Colonisation, War, Racism, Death, and Torture
Moderate: Grief, Medical content, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Xenophobia, and Sexual content
Minor: Alcohol
radtastical'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
4.0
Graphic: Torture, Murder, Death, Xenophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Colonisation, and Blood
Moderate: Grief, Sexual content, Gore, and Blood
Minor: War, Alcohol, Confinement, Cursing, Death of parent, Excrement, and Medical content
brucethegirl'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
4.75
More than anything I loved the Dragon, Arzi. It was my favorite animal sidekick so far this year. I loved how it didn't want to kill, despite being built for war. I loved how it protected Jebi and was fascinated by hair colors. And more than anything its subtle jokes.
I loved the ending as well, while not very hopeful in the grand scheme of things, it was perfect for Jebi. It was a direct line linked to real world historical events, and I think the subtle exploration of that turbulent time in history was well done and deserves some major exploration.
If there are ever more in this series, I definitely will be checking them out. As it stands, I'll be devouring Lee's back catalogue in the coming months.
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Death, and War
aardwyrm'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: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Cultural appropriation, Death of parent, Death, Police brutality, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Colonisation, Gore, War, and Violence
brnineworms's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
There are so many issues I could pick apart but I think I’ll stop here. Between the flat characters, the lack of follow-through on interesting concepts, and the inconsistencies throughout, Phoenix Extravagant is hard to recommend. That said, it’s largely inoffensive. I appreciate what the author was going for, at least, even if it feels half-baked. I don’t think it’s bad but I’m glad I’m done with it.
Graphic: Blood, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Murder, Sexual content, Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, War, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Animal death, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Stalking, Torture, Vomit, Excrement, Gun violence, Misogyny, Police brutality, Racism, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Fire/Fire injury, and Grief
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Ableism, Drug use, Gore, Infidelity, Cannibalism, Kidnapping, Medical content, Suicide, Terminal illness, Abandonment, and Death of parent