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Reviews tagging 'Fire/Fire injury'

Queen of the Conquered by Kacen Callender

9 reviews

baponthecob's review against another edition

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dark mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

this book had a lot of promise, but the author did not deliver. it's their first adult novel and you can tell. the writing was SO repetitive. i think 100 pages could have been cut just from repetition alone.
the plot twist reveal was not bad. i also usually dont like 1st person pov, but i think it works here due to sigourney's ability to "sink in" to a person's mind. bc of this, we get some parts that read like 3rd person, which is really interesting. however, this doesn't make up for the writing style itself.
parts of the plot are still not explained by the end or dont make sense no matter what. for example,
sigourney suspected niklasson of being the one tricking them, despite reading his thoughts and knowing that he loved the king and was deeply hurt and confused by the king's change in behavior
and that's just ONE plot point. there are many more.
maybe the editor was the friends we made along the way!
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anarmandameg's review against another edition

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adventurous dark sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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megan_martha_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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library_of_alexandra_'s review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense slow-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

3.25

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the_wendybirb's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

+ Diverse setting and unique magic system
+ Tense pace that kept my stomach in knots til the end.
+ Twists
- Brutal & graphic depictions of slavery. Inspiration was drawn from the colonization of the Caribbean, so I wouldn't say it was superfluous.
- The main character gets lost in thoughts and has frequent flashbacks.  It didn't bother me, but I could see how other readers may not like the pacing.
- The reveal of the Big Twist left something to be desired. I understand why it was revealed the way it was, but it was kinda "eh" compared to other parts of the book.
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kingsteph's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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aseel_reads's review against another edition

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dark mysterious slow-paced
  • 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? Yes

3.75

this was an interesting read - read it for book club. I'm still trying to figure out my thoughts but I'll try to dot point this review, just so I have something coherent for our bookclub. 

- the theme of colonisation and slavery was very in the forefront of the story. I've read plenty of fantasy stories that use them as part of their overall plot/message but in this book it was literally the whole premise of the book, which means you feel just as uncomfortable as if reading the colour purple or something by octavia butler. 
- I thought the setting/world was really well done. it was Carribbean inspired and I found it quite refreshing to read. 
- I am interested in the main character. she's very complex and I can't tell if I care for her or if I dislike her. I understand her motives very well but I'm not sure if it's enough to care for her. 
- I didn't really pick up the plot twist but I did like it and thought it was done okay (bits were a bit confusing and didn't make that much sense). 
- her Kraft was interesting but I think the way it was used to further the narrative was at times confusing. heaps of time she found out something but it wasn't written clearly that she was using her Kraft. 
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catastrophic's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Excellent setting and magic system, it was a terrifying insight into slavery in the Caribbean while still being a fantasy setting. But mostly showing not telling, and the plot was very slow and plot twist poorly executed 
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therainbowshelf's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This wasn't the right book for me, but it's not a bad book. It has strong writing and a solid, interesting world. I thought the characters were well portrayed, especially Sigourney who isn't loveable but she's a compelling character. There was a lot of political intrigue and murder in this book, which isn't usually my thing, and there were a few things I didn't feel worked well but wouldn't have detracted from my enjoyment if I'd liked the book more. 

๐Ÿ“˜The Gist ๐Ÿ“˜: Sigourney Rose is driven by ambition and a need for revenge. She's the only islander with any political power among the Invaders who inslaved her people. She's driven to compete to become the king's next successor, but she has to stay alive to do that. 

๐Ÿ“’Representation๐Ÿ“’: BIPOC mc, strong woman mc, maybe m-spec mc

๐Ÿ’• For readers looking for ๐Ÿ’•: Politicl intrigue, an intense look at racism and power dynamics, powerful female characters, interesting magic dynamics, ghosts? mystery and surprising endings! 
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