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thecolouryes's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Moderate: Classism, Forced institutionalization, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Medical content, War, Death, and Violence
Minor: Drug use, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Alcohol, Addiction, Blood, Slavery, Self harm, Cancer, and Torture
futureofmydays's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Colonisation, Suicide, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Cancer, Confinement, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicidal thoughts, Death, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Blood, Genocide, Gore, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Grief
Moderate: Alcoholism
nekoshka's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Graphic: Mental illness, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Homophobia, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, and War
leanne_miron's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Mental illness, Xenophobia, Death, Blood, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Murder
Moderate: Slavery, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Suicide
Minor: Medical content
k_aro's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75
I am, however, brainrotten, and can only think about parallels between necromancer/cavalier relationships in The Locked Tomb series and the stormsinger/secondary relationships in this book. Fascinating!
Graphic: Murder, War, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, Ableism, Confinement, Emotional abuse, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Drug use and Alcohol
Minor: Drug abuse
thebetterstory's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
The characters are likeable enough, although I felt that the author misjudged how many times
There’s an uncomfortable bent to the way the book handles its war on an neighbouring land, too. It does at least seem aware that colonization is bad, but that doesn’t stop the soldiers from being called “heroes” and people who “should be heroes,” both by characters and the narrative. The nods at pacifistic worldviews rarely include a discussion of how the Laneeri have been harmed. In fact, it wasn’t often clear whether the book thought that was the biggest problem, or the fact that the Aeland soldiers sent to war were traumatized. And of course it is people from this other land who get no dialogue, unless you count mad cackling; who use incense and necromancy and have “sky-priests” while the main characters remain somewhere recognizable as England even though it’s never called that. Who have no technology we learn of, unlike this not-England, and who are the only ones mentioned to use torture against POWs during the war and have no rules against harming civilians, including children. In the plot they’ve been wronged, but subtextually they’re framed as villains and terrifying, mysterious forces of violence. I’m not sure the book going And War Is Bad really made up for that. It feels thoughtless rather than deliberate, but doesn’t stop it from being uncomfortable and irritating.
I’ll admit I was going into this book expecting rather a lot, so perhaps I held it to an unfair standard. It was fun, and it did make for a good read on the plane. But I also felt nothing during its big dramatic conclusion. I’m not asking that every work be full of complication and moral complexity, but I need a bit more than this.
Moderate: Forced institutionalization
Minor: Torture, Vomit, Suicide, and Suicidal thoughts
sparklefarm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
Moderate: War, Murder, and Forced institutionalization
meganpbell'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
Minor: Kidnapping, Medical content, Colonisation, Classism, Death, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Murder, Homophobia, and War
ana_belen_herrera's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Minor: Mental illness, Physical abuse, Medical trauma, Violence, Forced institutionalization, and Death
gooseturnover'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? It's complicated
4.0
Minor: Suicide and Forced institutionalization
Suicide is only mentioned and happens off-screen.