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raypaws'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Alcohol
Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Domestic abuse, Rape, and Self harm
maelikesbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Classism
mromie'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
“Death is the mother of beauty…beauty is terror. Whatever we call beautiful, we quiver before it…We want to be devoured by it, to hide ourselves in that fire which refines us”
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Gun violence, Suicide, Violence, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Classism
sgtbuckaroo'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
They are all, in some way or another and some more than others, people who you wouldn’t want to be around in real life. Each character has at least one undesirable trait, and they are all morally gray if not explicitly bad people. However, I still found them enjoyable, which I believe is made possible by the fact that they are clearly not meant to be likeable as human beings.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Gun violence, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Homophobia, Incest, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, and Suicide attempt
honipoems's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Incest, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Suicide attempt, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
rebekkamafia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug use, Murder, Alcohol, and Classism
Moderate: Addiction, Cursing, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicide, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Antisemitism, and Suicide attempt
marleysclassics's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Because, though it might seem strange, in my opinion one of the best parts of this book was the developments of the characters in terms of likability. I liked all of them as I didn‘t know them at all and with every page I read I began to detest every one of them a little more. While I wouldn‘t call every single person of in this book a bad person, some certainly are. And I was so here for it, because it felt like hating them more meant understanding them more.
If you want to read this book because of the vibes - definitely. They‘re there, yet I wouldn‘t expect too much of the academia and a little more of the dark aspect. Not to say that academia isn‘t a reoccurring theme, because it is, but there really aren‘t that many lessons or anything. It‘s more about the whole setting, and the motives of the characters yet in a more abstract way.
I also loved the writing, because it is beautiful and meaningful and often SO pretentious - and it knows it is and it‘s okay because it romanticises and critiques its own style and contents at the same time. (I actually think that‘s the essence of the whole dark academia genre.) I flew through the pages, and especially the first part of the novel was SO addictive. You know what‘s going to happen from page one and still you become more interested with every page. And sometimes you can‘t even tell what draws you too the pages, yet there is something. Unfortunately, this lacked a bit in the second half. Especially towards the end, there were some parts which really grabbed me, but there were also long passages which I wasn‘t interested in. At some point, this narrative just turns into a fever dream/nightmare/sequence of drug abuse, and partly this became a tiring. But also not entirely.
In the end, I‘m pretty sure I‘ll have to read this again.
P.S.: I never answered the question „Are the flaws of the main character(s) a main focus of the book?“ more confidently.
And now I‘ll put this book in my shelf right next to The Picture of Dorian Gray
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Moderate: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Incest, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, and Grief
Minor: Animal death, Gun violence, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Blood, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, and Car accident
justaddwater's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Body horror, Sexual content, Torture, Blood, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Sexual harassment
hbocking's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Suicide, Islamophobia, Murder, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Incest, and Self harm
chiar_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Gun violence, Suicide, and Murder
Moderate: Homophobia