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theknitpick's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Murder, Violence, and Death
kylieqrada's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- 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
4.5 ⭐️s. This one took a sec to get into, just because the writing is so next level. But once I got on a roll with it, it really shone. Gorgeous world-building, amazing characters, interesting gender dynamics. I felt like the pacing was spot on with this one as well. Will definitely be picking up the next one.
Read for Beautifully Bookish Bethany's Tordotcomathon 2022
Read for Beautifully Bookish Bethany's Tordotcomathon 2022
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Child death, and Death
Moderate: Blood, Gore, and Murder
Minor: Pregnancy, Animal death, and Fire/Fire injury
orchidd's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Medical trauma, Violence, Murder, War, and Child death
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Animal death and Pregnancy
ailsaod's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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? No
3.0
Not sure what to think about this book. It is very short but despite this it took me ages to read because there is just too much happening?? We never get a solid feel for who our characters are because they are aging so quickly. I spent half of the book thinking that with each new timeskip would be the actual beginning of the story and the prior chapters were just context but it just never stopped. I have no idea who any one the main characters are or their motivations and the romantic relationships were very much insta-love. Is this book about being taken for granted? Is it about having to find your own way? Is it about fate? Evil dictators? I have no idea. For 150 pages things just sort of happened and the most frustrating part is is that the author was clearly saying something here!
The same goes for the worldbuilding. The stuff with slackcraft is never explained - though admittedly I would say this aspect of the book suffers the least from this treatment - and the treatment of gender was interesting but was overshadowed by everything else to the point that I just wanted to know more.
I probably won't be continuing with this series as I found it frustrating and unsatisfying.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore, Violence, Toxic relationship, Racism, and Child death
Toxic relationship is between the main characters and their motherbook_loser's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- 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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and War
Moderate: Violence and Dysphoria
Minor: Child death
cemeterygay's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I adored this book but the best part of the book by far is the worldbuilding.
Yang managed to build a very intriguing world that is very different from the fantasy worlds we typically see in a lot of mainstream fantasy. I love the way Yang explores and integrates gender into the world and how they manage to blend so many different cultural elements together seamlessly. I just wish we had more time to explore the magic system and to learn way more about the training.
I did really enjoy Mokoya and Akeha's relationship as siblings, I just wish we got more time between the two of them, especially with Mokoya. I do think the author does an amazing job at quickly establishing the personalities of each character, even though not all of the established characters are that multi-dimensional. What other characters lack though Akeha, especially, and Mokoya more than make up for.
I think my biggest problem was that I just wanted more of the book. While I do believe that Yang did an amazing job with the space they had, I just wish the time jumps weren't as sudden or extreme.
Beyond that I absolutely adored this book and would absolutely recommend it.
Yang managed to build a very intriguing world that is very different from the fantasy worlds we typically see in a lot of mainstream fantasy. I love the way Yang explores and integrates gender into the world and how they manage to blend so many different cultural elements together seamlessly. I just wish we had more time to explore the magic system and to learn way more about the training.
I did really enjoy Mokoya and Akeha's relationship as siblings, I just wish we got more time between the two of them, especially with Mokoya. I do think the author does an amazing job at quickly establishing the personalities of each character, even though not all of the established characters are that multi-dimensional. What other characters lack though Akeha, especially, and Mokoya more than make up for.
I think my biggest problem was that I just wanted more of the book. While I do believe that Yang did an amazing job with the space they had, I just wish the time jumps weren't as sudden or extreme.
Beyond that I absolutely adored this book and would absolutely recommend it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Emotional abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Abandonment, Blood, Gore, and War
lucystolethesky's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Violence, Murder, Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, Death, Child death, and Child abuse
Moderate: Confinement, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Xenophobia
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Adult/minor relationship
jayceejarvis's review
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
5.0
Short dense fantasy novel, written with spare searing prose. Elegant world building, fantastic characterization and a deft touch with hard hitting themes make this a story I'll be thinking about long after reading the last page.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and War
Moderate: Child death
charlieleelee's review
adventurous
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I really wanted to like this book. It's written by a queer Asian author, a perspective I've been wanting for decades.
The worldbuilding is very interesting, and I'd love to see more of it, but my biggest problem is that there doesn't really feel like there's a story here. Instead, it reads like a series of events, fast forwarding through Akeha's life without taking any time to really delve into any of the consequences of what he's experiencing. The story skips so much time, it doesn't let you see any character development.
And each section is so limited that there's no stakes established to give any emotional weight to the rebellion going on. It's clear the Protector is a tyrant, but you only get hints at the societal unrest that's happening.
You also don't get the chance to see the characters' relationships develop. You see Mokoya and Thennjay meet, and next chapter they're married and have a child. Akeha saves Yongcheow, next thing you know they've been together 10 years.
This is already a series, so it's weird that this first book feels so rushed. It's really disappointing because there's hints at the potential for a really compelling story from a perspective you don't get very often, but it just falls flat.
The worldbuilding is very interesting, and I'd love to see more of it, but my biggest problem is that there doesn't really feel like there's a story here. Instead, it reads like a series of events, fast forwarding through Akeha's life without taking any time to really delve into any of the consequences of what he's experiencing. The story skips so much time, it doesn't let you see any character development.
And each section is so limited that there's no stakes established to give any emotional weight to the rebellion going on. It's clear the Protector is a tyrant, but you only get hints at the societal unrest that's happening.
You also don't get the chance to see the characters' relationships develop. You see Mokoya and Thennjay meet, and next chapter they're married and have a child. Akeha saves Yongcheow, next thing you know they've been together 10 years.
This is already a series, so it's weird that this first book feels so rushed. It's really disappointing because there's hints at the potential for a really compelling story from a perspective you don't get very often, but it just falls flat.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Child death
flameoflareon's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This book was an amazing tale of fate vs. free will, sibling bonds, and magic. The magic system is wonderfully fresh as long as you don't mind picking up its rules from context clues. More so than just the magic system, but the world building around it, how magic existing affects religions and society and the people who can't do magic is creative an interesting. The main character(s) are compelling and the way the book handles gender is fascinating. I love this queer magic book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Murder and Police brutality
Minor: Child death