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linhsreadinghour's review against another edition
3.75
Easy to read, great for YA readers and introduces them to more adult themes in an age appropriate way. Including misogyny, racism, oppression, intimacy etc.
For me personally, I was left a little unsatisfied when the book ended. I had issues with the pacing of the book because things happened so quickly or conveniently. I also personally found it predictable and had figured out some aspects of the book in advance. Nevertheless, I think for a YA audience, this is a fab book.
This is a duology and I personally don’t feel that compelled to read book 2, so I think I will leave this series unfinished.
Graphic: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
obscurepages'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
Graphic: Child death, Death, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Violence, Grief, Gaslighting, and War
justmys'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
4.0
A really powerful book filled with a beautifully rich and vivid world populated by well fleshed out characters.
The relationships Tarisai built felt natural and well paced. The mother was heartbreaking at times in her obsession, which was an odd experience to have. Complex "villains" are a favourite of mine and this book definitely explored all of the shades of grey for her.
I only gave the book 4 stars as there were times I felt things happened out of convenience for the plot, but they weren't overly distracting and didn't detract too much from the overall book. I also felt that, at times, the ages of the characters were confusing to follow. This might have been my fault, perhaps I didn't hear it when listening but I felt myself reeling a little at how the characters spoke or interracted and had to keep double checking ages online.
Overall, a really great read and the narrator for the book did an amazing job bringing the music of the world alive.
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual content, Excrement, and Pregnancy
melliedm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
An excellent anti-imperialist YA fantasy. Easily the best YA I’ve read in a long time. I had started to think maybe I no longer enjoyed YA, but it turns out I was just waiting for a book like this.
Tarisai was born for one purpose, and one purpose alone: to kill the emperor’s son, and end the imperial line. To do so, she will first have to love him and enter his trusted circle. But are our children just malleable tools for our machinations, or people capable of seeing different futures?
This book manages to avoid some of the most overdone tropes in the genre whilst using others with absolute grace. The characters are varied and well-written, each with their own ideals and desires. The plot feels intentional and the results hard-won, and not a given simply because “it’s gotta have a beginning middle and end”
My only problem with this book, and the reason for the docking of .25 stars, is the weird as heck relationship between two side characters. I won’t spoil much, but one of the characters is established to be around 20 at the beginning of the book, when the main character is around 12. The other side character is described to be about the same age as the main character. So when the main character is 16, we have a 24 year old side character developing a romance with a 16 year old side character? What? Did I misread something? Did I misunderstand the timeline? It made me extremely uncomfortable. But it’s such a small part of the book and something I could ignore with relative ease, so I don’t think this one strange aspect detracts from the rest of the book’s beauty.
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Xenophobia, Abandonment, and Colonisation
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Police brutality, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and War
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Suicidal thoughts
thecatconstellation's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
My only critique is that the council members are supposedly so meaningful to Tar, but only a few of them are fleshed out beyond the most basic level.
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Sexual content, Slavery, and Alcohol
ginameix'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? No
5.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Colonisation
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
talonsontypewriters'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, Death, Xenophobia, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, and Classism
Minor: Domestic abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Vomit, and Acephobia/Arophobia
Relationship between characters with unspecified ages but presumably one around 15-17 and the other at least in his 20s. Crush/romantic undertones (no actual relationship) between characters later revealed to be related.linblythe_pub22's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, and Abandonment
Minor: Child death, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
forgottuesday'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: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abandonment, and War
friendly_neighborhood_grandma'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
4.25
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Classism
Moderate: Violence