Scan barcode
quinnpjd930's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
raptorq'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
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Slavery, Murder, and Classism
Minor: Child death and Physical abuse
nina_rae_131's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Lin is the emperor's daughter. She lost her memories five years ago and is trying to win back her father's love. I enjoyed her character arc and her relationship with her foster brother Bayan. I thought the bone shard magic was very interesting, especially the moral struggles that come along with it and how it echoes the moral issues of empire.
Jovis, and his lovable animal companion Mephi, are searching for Jovis' lost wife. I loved Jovis as a character, his inner voice was unique and I enjoyed how he struggled with his morals and his goals when they conflicted. Mephi is my favorite character in this book.
Phalue and Ramani felt like a typical romantic rebellion against the empire story.
Sand's POV was interesting, and I'm looking forward to seeing what she'll do in later books.
Graphic: Body horror, Physical abuse, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Trafficking and Kidnapping
Minor: Death of parent
riverstrongblood'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? Yes
5.0
I'm excited to read the next two books.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
viselik's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
The characters were all very interesting to me except maybe one or two, even if I felt that five main POV characters were a bit too much. I would have personally preferred having either Phalue or Ramani not having POV chapters, as I felt they just took up space that could have been better used elsewhere. Having them be in a relationship is definitely interesting. Still, it just made me really dislike Ramani as a character due to how she treats Phalue. I just did not see any connection between them from Ramani's POV chapters. Sand, I just was not interested in, they brought interesting concepts but they felt a bit disjointed with the rest of the book, even more so with the ending of their arc.
This book definitely holds up as a standalone (excluding some minor things). I always prefer a book in a series that can be enjoyed just as a standalone and not have to rely on the other books in the series to have a complete plot.
Graphic: Death, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Physical abuse, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and War
Humans meltingabby_can_read'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? Yes
3.0
This was good. I liked the worldbuilding and the lore. I struggle to care about any of the characters and their plot lines. While I liked parts of this book, I did struggle to stay focused and engaged at times.
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, and Murder
Minor: Child death, Confinement, and Racism
dragongirl271'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? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Body horror and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, and Murder
Minor: Torture and Sexual harassment
jillyfitz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Genocide and Xenophobia
weareinheritors's review against another edition
- 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
Definitely recommend this book to anybody looking for a darker, non-romance fantasy story with lots of twists and turns.
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Kidnapping and Death of parent
srm'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
4.0
Moderate: Violence, Blood, and Murder
Minor: Animal cruelty, Child death, Confinement, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail