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barda'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
4.0
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Sexism, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, and Slavery
Minor: Rape and Sexual harassment
keelirae113'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
5.0
Graphic: Colonisation, Kidnapping, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Slavery, Blood, Cursing, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Violence, Animal cruelty, Grief, Body horror, Classism, Death, Child abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, and Sexism
Moderate: Sexual assault, Islamophobia, Murder, Racism, Ableism, Panic attacks/disorders, Dysphoria, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Abandonment, Sexual violence, Torture, Addiction, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Drug use, Cannibalism, Cultural appropriation, Religious bigotry, and Stalking
kiwij96's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The story was engaging, with good characters: flawed people each with a deep history which brings them to life and makes them immediately likeable, and their relationships to each other are realistic and don't feel forced. And the plot developed at a reasonable pace, nothing felt rushed or out of place for the most part.
At about 65-70% of the way in, I personally felt like the plot lost its way a bit and absolutely could have been handled differently to make the book at least 100 pages shorter, and to be a fantastic standalone.
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Blood, Torture, and Genocide
Moderate: Alcohol, Misogyny, Grief, Racism, Religious bigotry, Xenophobia, Sexism, and Islamophobia
alexijai98's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Slavery, Misogyny, and Sexism
kaylaswhitmore'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
5.0
I found myself quickly enamored with the writing style as well as Amina’s narration. Normally, I can be pretty wishy-washy about first person POV, but Chakraborty’s choice felt so valid and intriguing. And her mastery of suspense and foreshadowing (often so tongue-in-cheek) kept me curious the whole way through. It was so much fun to bite into the tidbits of information we were given while waiting to truly discover the whole of the story, and I loved that the world felt just as wondrous to Amina as it did to me as the reader. For the first half of the book I was questioning what made the story “fantasy,” just as Amina was doubtful of magic—but when the fantastical elements did kick in? Boy, was it worth the wait. It felt so vivid and overwhelming and exciting, even as I was left wanting more of the world and its characters.
On the note of characters, I also highly appreciated how diverse the cast truly was—without it ever feeling like pandering. In fact, one of my favorite things about the story was how whimsical it felt despite remaining grounded in reality. I loved that Amina being a fearsome, female pirate was both acknowledged but not overly emphasized the way some historical fiction can be. I loved that Timbu was openly gay (at least to the crew and character), yet was not subject to cruelty and suffering based on his sexuality. I loved that Jamal was woven so craftily into the narration of the story without his trans/fluid identity ever feeling like a simple plot device. Chakraborty’s choices of characterization felt so genuine and charmingly blasé that I couldn’t help but wish for even more of each character.
As this is starting to get a bit lengthy, I’ll cut myself off here…but I do hope that she continues this world in some way so that my enjoyment of her writing can go on! I’ll definitely return to reading this book again, and hope that others have similar feelings as me!
Graphic: Murder, Physical abuse, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Blood, Cursing, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, and Gore
Moderate: Addiction, Slavery, Sexism, Alcohol, Misogyny, Alcoholism, Transphobia, Genocide, Grief, and Islamophobia
Minor: Deadnaming and Rape
tabea1409'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: Child abuse, Classism, Colonisation, Cursing, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Islamophobia, Kidnapping, Torture, Violence, War, Death of parent, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Death, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Blood, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, and Slavery
fanboyriot'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: Murder, Torture, Death, Misogyny, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Violence, Blood, and Gore
Moderate: Animal death, Slavery, Classism, Toxic relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Vomit, Colonisation, Sexism, War, Grief, and Transphobia
Minor: Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Rape, Trafficking, Abandonment, Cannibalism, Addiction, Dysphoria, and Pregnancy
emilywemily6's review against another edition
- 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? No
5.0
Graphic: Classism, Cursing, Misogyny, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Emotional abuse, Body horror, Trafficking, Violence, Physical abuse, and Death
Moderate: Alcohol, Racism, Gore, Stalking, Animal cruelty, Religious bigotry, Grief, and Kidnapping
Minor: Sexual content, Transphobia, Pregnancy, and Colonisation
marioosa517'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
4.5
Graphic: Islamophobia, Genocide, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Violence, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Kidnapping, and Alcohol
Moderate: Pedophilia, Body horror, Cannibalism, Animal cruelty, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Genocide, Colonisation, Sexual harassment, and Violence
Minor: Animal death, Child abuse, Biphobia, Death of parent, Infertility, Lesbophobia, Pregnancy, Rape, Drug use, Dysphoria, Homophobia, Transphobia, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
gardens_and_dragons'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
Graphic: Violence and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Kidnapping, and Sexual content