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daja's review against another edition
i cannot stand the main character and her perspective. Am I supposed to feel bad for her that she was born free and doesn't have to be a slave? Am I supposed to feel bad that she is complicit in the brutal acts against the islanders, her own people? Am I supposed to feel bad that she doesn't feel deserving of love and forces her own slave to be intimate with her? I HATE her. And she's consistently having a pity party about her life and I'm just so done. I'm not even going to make myself push through this.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Classism, Rape, Toxic relationship, Slavery, Child death, Colonisation, Violence, Grief, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Racism
the_wendybirb's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
+ Diverse setting and unique magic system
+ Tense pace that kept my stomach in knots til the end.
+ Twists
- Brutal & graphic depictions of slavery. Inspiration was drawn from the colonization of the Caribbean, so I wouldn't say it was superfluous.
- The main character gets lost in thoughts and has frequent flashbacks. It didn't bother me, but I could see how other readers may not like the pacing.
- The reveal of the Big Twist left something to be desired. I understand why it was revealed the way it was, but it was kinda "eh" compared to other parts of the book.
+ Tense pace that kept my stomach in knots til the end.
+ Twists
- Brutal & graphic depictions of slavery. Inspiration was drawn from the colonization of the Caribbean, so I wouldn't say it was superfluous.
- The main character gets lost in thoughts and has frequent flashbacks. It didn't bother me, but I could see how other readers may not like the pacing.
- The reveal of the Big Twist left something to be desired. I understand why it was revealed the way it was, but it was kinda "eh" compared to other parts of the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Racism, Slavery, Colonisation, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual violence, Fire/Fire injury, Suicide, and Toxic relationship
therainbowshelf's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This wasn't the right book for me, but it's not a bad book. It has strong writing and a solid, interesting world. I thought the characters were well portrayed, especially Sigourney who isn't loveable but she's a compelling character. There was a lot of political intrigue and murder in this book, which isn't usually my thing, and there were a few things I didn't feel worked well but wouldn't have detracted from my enjoyment if I'd liked the book more.
๐The Gist ๐: Sigourney Rose is driven by ambition and a need for revenge. She's the only islander with any political power among the Invaders who inslaved her people. She's driven to compete to become the king's next successor, but she has to stay alive to do that.
๐Representation๐: BIPOC mc, strong woman mc, maybe m-spec mc
๐ For readers looking for ๐: Politicl intrigue, an intense look at racism and power dynamics, powerful female characters, interesting magic dynamics, ghosts? mystery and surprising endings!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Violence
mocaw_'s review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Callender is an amazing writer, once you get used to their flow and style. People saying the protagonist is unlikable as missing the point: she is supposed to be. This is a gripping, chilling, and deeply emotional novel, showing the horrors of slavery through a fictional lens, written by someone who actually understands this pain - instead of white authors pretending they do. This book is a brutal, and honest, portrayal of the results of privilege and power. It is not a novel for everyone; it is not supposed to be. But you should read it anyway.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Toxic relationship, Slavery, Sexual violence, Rape, and Racism
Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Grief
ehmannky's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This is a hard book. The characters are hard through necessity, the protagonist Sigourney is honestly downright unlikable, and her participation in a system of slavery poisons her belief in the righteousness of her cause, and there's very little opportunity for love to bloom. It's a tough read, especially since Callender doesn't shy away from (nor do they revel in, which was a nice change from books by white authors that use slavery) the worst parts of slavery and they are very clear that Sigourney is not a good person. But I also feel like all of this leads it to being such a good book. I'd recommend getting a version of the book with the "extras" in the back to read Callender's Q&A about their story. I thought their discussion that they wanted to create a work about complicity with such a damaging system and that they wanted to have a book that dealt with privilege and complicity and reflecting on their own privilege and complicity in oppressive systems.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Violence, and Colonisation
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Grief, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Alcoholism and Pedophilia
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