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bucketsjen's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Imperial Russia Era inspired fantasy, where nobles get their power from dragon-gods caged in their bones and a commoner insurgency struggles against the corrupt ruling class. The commoners can't seem to get a good win but things are about to change - a couple decades ago, a rebel researcher with bad ethics discovered how to bind gods to two sisters, who are now grown and are out to take down the whole system... well, if they can figure out the final formula to max out their powers, avoid being caught out as traitors, and escape being accidentally killed by the god-hating rebellion.
This book was good but not overly complicated. The bad guys are bad, it's easy to root for the good guys (even the supposedly "morally gray" ex), and the characters are kinda more "presented" than developed, especially in the beginning. But it was engaging, the world is interesting, the prose is lovely, the two romances are great even if they aren't surprising (one has a vicious ex who can't stop blowing things up while the other is a raging sapphic who's trying to not fall for the princess-heir ). While there are on-page hookups, this isn't a smutty book and nothing is very detailed; the emphasis is more on how the characters feel about each other than about what they physically do).
It's part of a duology, the second isn't out yet - but this book stands as a complete story. I can see what plots the second book would probably have, but the author brought everything to a satisfying and finished conclusion for this book, so I'm happy.
This book was good but not overly complicated. The bad guys are bad, it's easy to root for the good guys (even the supposedly "morally gray" ex), and the characters are kinda more "presented" than developed, especially in the beginning. But it was engaging, the world is interesting, the prose is lovely, the two romances are great even if they aren't surprising (
It's part of a duology, the second isn't out yet - but this book stands as a complete story. I can see what plots the second book would probably have, but the author brought everything to a satisfying and finished conclusion for this book, so I'm happy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm and Violence
Moderate: Physical abuse, Alcoholism, Terminal illness, Torture, Emotional abuse, and Chronic illness
Content warnings from the author: Depicts violence and the impacts of imperialism against the backdrop of a budding war and revolution. The ruling class in this book is ruthless, ableist, and openly practices eugenics. There is frank reference to grim eugenics practices. One character manages chronic pain and disability and is forced to keep her illness invisible because of this. In addition, another character is bonded to a god that demands self-harm, so please be aware of this if cutting is a trigger for you. List of additional CWs: Violence: murder, immolation, explosions, injuries, gore, death; Self-harm: alcoholism, suicide, stabbing (self-inflicted and not), cutting; Abuse: emotional abuse, manipulative relationships (parental); MISC: self-medication, eugenics, frank depictions of living with chronic pain, PTSD
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