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thogek's reviews
428 reviews
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
And it was kinda fun.
Perhaps a bit simple in some ways compared to many fantasy adventure stories, but still a nice fun entertaining read about a young impetuous orcish mercenary (not nearly as animally brutish as that might sound in some fantasy worlds) and, while recuperating from the injuries of her recent impetuousness in a small town, the varied new relationships she formed, lessons learned, and unexpected threat fought.
Easy read, fun story, and enough to make me consider picking up Legends & Lattes at some point.
Moderate: Cursing, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death and Blood
- 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: Violence
Moderate: Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Mental illness, Slavery, Torture, Medical content, Grief, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cursing and Rape
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: Blood
- 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
3.5
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, and Alcohol
Minor: Animal death, Mental illness, and Sexual content
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Violence, and War
Moderate: Gore, Blood, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Medical content, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
- 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: Gun violence and Murder
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Cursing, Gore, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Alcohol
3.0
Graphic: Death, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Genocide, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Islamophobia, Medical content, and Medical trauma
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Kidnapping
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Stalking, and Murder
Minor: Sexual assault and Blood
5.0
MacPhail draws on extensive input from past medical publications, studies, and interviews with current medical, other specialists and patients, weaving a very readable collection of stories into a history of many aspects of allergies in humans. From the various types of allergies, to the medical tests to detect and identify them, to management and treatment options; how they've all evolved over time, how they all fell (and continue to fall) short, some promising recent developments, and how frustratingly elusive a true understanding of allergies continues to be.
This story is necessarily incomplete, as a full understanding of allergies and how to cure them is still nowhere in sight, but it is quite a story, sure to engage those interested in the human immune system and the ways in which it can go haywire on us, and perhaps useful background to those navigating the experience itself.
Note that this is not (and does not claim to be) a guide to treating and living better with allergies. This is a history of human understanding of allergy conditions, a "biography of allergies" as a quote on the cover puts it. So don't expect the former and then knock it for failing to deliver what it isn't. For what it is, it delivers quite well.