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selimhannah'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
5.0
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, Miscarriage, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Confinement, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Abortion, Alcohol, and Colonisation
fairyollie'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
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gore, Grief, Pregnancy, Colonisation, War, and Classism
Moderate: Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Religious bigotry, Abandonment, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Torture, and Stalking
the_reading_wren'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
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Child death and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Chronic illness, Confinement, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Excrement, Medical content, Cannibalism, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Colonisation, and Classism
crownoflaurel's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: War and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Kidnapping, and Death of parent
nefariousbee'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
4.75
Graphic: Child death, Infidelity, Violence, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Confinement, and Death
aseel_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, War, and Injury/Injury detail
gracewiley'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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, and War
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Confinement, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
alexalily'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? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death, Blood, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gore, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Cancer, Chronic illness, Infidelity, Suicide, Vomit, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, and Alcohol
careinthelibrary's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
This is more politically intricate than the previous tome from Samantha Shannon. I didn't personally prefer this much politics in my fantasy, but I know lots of people who enjoy political machinations and intrigue in their high fantasy so I'm sure it'll be popular for that reason. There's a lot more time spent discussing various kingdoms' relationships with one another and marriage features a lot more in this (at least to my memory of what <i>Priory</i> was like). But don't fret, there's also plenty of action and darkness.
The dragon content doesn't disappoint. It feels like it's scraped from the depths of a volcano with how intimidating and ancient they feel. We get lots of conflict with dragons in this which is satisfying because <i>Priory</i> never felt like quite enough. Samantha Shannon is generous with the drama in this book.
Women and women's love are at the core of this novel. Romantic love, parental love, sisterly love. This puts a spotlight on these kinds of relationships and over the course of the novel, they grow and change. They betray one another, they uplift one another, they love each other, they defend each other. It's great. There were some characters I felt more attached to and whose plotlines entertained me more while others were lesser favoured. Glorian was my favourite but I liked aspects of all them.
All in all, I don't think this will disappoint fans. Depending on your personal preferences, you may like this a little more or a little less than the previous, but most importantly, it's its own story with a fresh take on the world. It doesn't live in the shadow of the predecessor but right alongside that legend.
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Infidelity, and Suicide
Minor: Alcohol
Forced pregnancy, young pregnancy