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Graphic: Death, Violence, War
Moderate: Sexual content, Death of parent
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail
Sabaa Tahir is a true Kehanni and I look forward to reading all of her other stories.
Graphic: Death, Violence, War
Moderate: Sexual content, Slavery, Grief
Minor: Child death, Homophobia, Sexism
Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder, War
Moderate: Sexual content, Blood, Grief, Injury/Injury detail
This started out a little slow for my taste, but every scene felt necessary. Everything after 80% of the book was an emotional rollercoaster. I cried when certain characters died and cried again when their souls crossed over. Any book that makes me cry gets a high rating from me. The end gave me all the closure I wanted and I loved it. What an adventure this series has been. I'm sad to say goodbye but it feels right.
Graphic: Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Sexual content
Graphic: Child death, Death, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Cursing, Genocide, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Stalking, Death of parent
Minor: Animal death, Confinement, Hate crime, Infidelity, Misogyny, Abandonment
Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder
Moderate: Sexual content, Slavery, Grief
Minor: Sexism, Blood
Moderate: Sexual content
Tahir’s female characters in particular show incredible growth and weave together strength with emotion. Laia’s story embodies the value of empathy and the final scene with Keris is utterly heartbreaking and shows that we as people can suffer greatly and it is our response to that suffering that shapes our future. Helene’s journey is my favorite. She began the series as the token girl having to fight twice as hard as the guys to command respect while nursing feelings for the main male character and being taught those feelings make her weak. She makes mistakes and does horrible things (and has horrible things happen to her) but she learns and grows as she unlearns the awful values passed on by previous generations of the Empire.
There are some heartbreaking character deaths that make sense because of the brutal nature of this world and the Nightbringer’s plan, though that doesn’t make them hurt less. Without them, the story would have felt unbalanced and our main characters need that grief to become the people they’re meant to be.
I cannot recommend this series highly enough! But mind the content warnings if you are sensitive to specific topics.
Content warnings:
Blood, body horror, death, gore, injury, murder, violence, war (on page):
Death of parent (on page, flashback):
Domestic abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse (on page):
Fire/fire injury (on page):
Classism (on page):
Medical content, pregnancy (on page):
Slavery (on page):
Sexism (on page):
Sexual content (on page):
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Medical content, Pregnancy, Classism