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thebookaddict'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
3.0
🇬🇧: This book wasn't quite what I expected, but it was fun to read. The focus is much on the queer romance and much less on the story surrounding it, I expected it the other way around. I read in the reviews that the book was homophobic and sometimes even a bit racist. I looked at this differently. I thought it fit with the book, because we are talking about 100 year old (white) vampires who still have to "get used" to the idea that it is more pronounced if you are queer and that people with a different skin color now also go to school. These things were strongly highlighted in the book and can therefore come across as hurtful (be sure to read the trigger warnings if you cannot handle this). I thought the book was well written and easy to read through. I just would have liked to see a little more storyline regarding the disease and the "medicine", this just felt more like a sideline in the story. I would also have liked to read more about the reunionists. I thought the concept of vampires and a disease that kills them was very original.
Graphic: Bullying, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Medical content, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Homophobia, Cursing, Abandonment, Vomit, Death, Grief, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Child death
finleyworm's review
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Violence, Blood, and Death
Moderate: Homophobia, Murder, Gaslighting, and Bullying
Minor: Alcohol
bree_h_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Classism, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Cursing, Chronic illness, Misogyny, Death, Murder, and Sexism
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Death of parent, Rape, and Sexual assault
lunep's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Graphic: Bullying, Alcohol, Blood, Cursing, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Lesbophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, Murder, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Classism, Colonisation, Infertility, Racism, Sexual content, Suicide, and Violence
writingcaia's review
4.25
I feel like so many people felt hurt or shocked by things in the book, and I didn’t. I wondered if there’s something wrong with me, I’m so empathetic and attentive but I’m also white and cisgender, although not straight, still…
To be honest I don’t see how anything in the book is outrageous or offensive, everything seems so straightforward and candid, but I hate that people felt wronged or hurt, and I’m sure there’s validity to it, even if I didn’t feel or see it. It simply wasn’t my experience and I don’t think I’m a bad person or oblivious to other peoples’ struggle because of it.
It actually felt as if the author is super woke and perfectly attuned to the new generation fighting for queer right, POC rights (being white), environmental changes, etc. The difficulties of fitting in at the same time as finding out who you are, felt pretty real, especially since I read a YA lesbian fiction recently with a similar discovery phase. Nothing felt forced at all.
Also, the writing was so very good, the story pretty interesting and captivating, a great take on vampires and their relationship with humans when they can no longer drink from them and have a blood substitute.
A lot of power plays and ugly, colonialist, conservative types among the older vampires which may trigger some, but I found that it is as reasonable as the truth about people 100 years or more ago, and how most rich and moralistic/religion zealots saw the world and shaped it, even today.
There’s queer romance and super sexy vamps. Girls fighting for girls, and oblivious entitled boys (and girls) that redeem themselves.
So, if you are looking for a queer vampire book, a coming of age and sexuality, with romance and murder mystery subplot, and a lot of mean girls and goth vibes this is for you.
But, yes, read the bad reviews too, maybe it might be triggering for you.
The one thing that could have improved the book for me was the finale which I wish hadn’t been so rushed especially since it’d be interesting to find the consequences of what happens at the end.
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Blood, Bullying, Gaslighting, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Racism
thaliareads'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: Bullying, Death, Classism, Gaslighting, and Blood
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Homophobia, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Emotional abuse, Murder, and Infertility
In general, the boarding school that the MC's go to is elitist and lacks diversity, meaning there are many instances where the other students seem like classist bullies, and they are not very open to queer people. In addition, as a book about vampires blood is quite frequently discussed. Finally, it is mentioned that while some vampires can have children - others find themselves infertile. Now for the content warnings that require spoilers:laurajones's review
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Blood, Classism, Bullying, Murder, and Grief
Moderate: Lesbophobia, Medical content, and Death of parent
Minor: Domestic abuse
ezwolf's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.5
The plot seemed to just be "high school but with vampires" for a good chunk of the book and when it did finally introduce other plot points it left them unresolved.
This book is told from Kat and Taylor's POVs and I disliked both of them. I didn't really like anyone in the book. I don't know if that's because I'm older and they're very teenager-y or if they were actually unlikable. Taylor suffered from "I'm not like other girls" syndrome and Kat came off borderline homophobic for a good chunk of the book. Also both of them were white but the narrative pushed very hard to show us how they were the only (or some of the only) vampires who cared about diversity and equality and yet the only characters that were not white were one of the mean girls who bullied both Taylor and Kat and the popular rich boy who was unaware of rich vampire privilege.
Also Galen's parent's whole backstory???
Graphic: Bullying, Blood, Toxic relationship, Classism, Death, and Homophobia
Moderate: Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Sexual content, Racism, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Infertility, and Cursing
celestriakle's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Self harm, Lesbophobia, Bullying, and Death
Moderate: Violence, Abandonment, Blood, Grief, Cursing, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Sexual content, Infertility, and Chronic illness
gays0up's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Lesbophobia, Blood, Homophobia, and Classism