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bookaholic_in_wonderland's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
Graphic: Torture, Murder, War, Blood, Religious bigotry, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, and Death
Minor: Alcohol
godfrina's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The language used in this book carried the story telling so well. I will be reading the rest of the series and possibly more from this author for sure. The gore and violence is strong at times, as is expected in a story about justice, conflict and empires, but it fits the narrative.
Graphic: Gore, Religious bigotry, Violence, Death, War, and Blood
Moderate: Confinement, Grief, Vomit, Alcohol, and Torture
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, and Animal death
bannedfrombookclub's review against another edition
4.0
It's a book where the narrator is not the protagonist, though Hellena might grow into that role in the later books. The story is about Vonvalt, a kind of romano-germanic Judge Dredd with some low-magic whose authority and morality are tested by those who would remake the empire in their image.
Another interesting aspect is that this is a battle to maintain law and civilization that's under threat from religious fundamentalists, rather than the usual over throw of an evil emperor shtick. So it's very much in conversation with modern events in the West.
It's also a female narrator written by a man, and I'll give this an 7/8 out of 10 on that front. Don't know if I should add or remove points for the reverse fridging of her love interest, a romantic connection that felt flat and forced in any case.
Graphic: Violence, War, Religious bigotry, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual harassment
Minor: Sexual assault
thecriticalreader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Violence, Murder, War, Blood, and Gore
Moderate: Child abuse, Alcohol, Animal death, Alcoholism, Religious bigotry, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Vomit, and Xenophobia
Minor: Sexual content, Child death, Classism, Colonisation, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Pedophilia, and Rape
ladyheroj's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Violence and War
Moderate: Sexual violence
fran's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Gore, Murder, and War
Moderate: Sexual assault, Rape, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Excrement, Alcoholism, Death, Body horror, Child death, Medical content, Death of parent, Animal death, Blood, Confinement, Grief, Kidnapping, and Sexism
swann303's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Moderate: Gore, Violence, and War
_qwert's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Trafficking, Death, Genocide, Torture, Slavery, Murder, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, War, and Violence
Moderate: Alcoholism
Minor: Racism
kingcrookback's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
I'll pick up the sequel because I'm curious as to where this all goes, but I'm not dying to find out.
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Gore
Moderate: Grief, Animal death, War, Confinement, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Rape, Kidnapping, Sexual violence, and Child death
blacksphinx's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Gore, Blood, War, Murder, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Excrement, Religious bigotry, and Violence
Moderate: Colonisation, Confinement, Vomit, Torture, Xenophobia, Fatphobia, Grief, and Kidnapping
Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Child death