Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.14 AVERAGE
4.14 AVERAGE
Weird, dark, and shockingly gritty for a YA. Solid concept. The characters may have needed a little more chiseling and the plot was slow to ignite given the pacing, but the story oozed such a grim, hypnotic charm that I was hooked anyway. I’m excited to pick up more of AJW’s work!
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Super intense but an amazing read! Definitely horror so check out the content warnings if needed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Self harm, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Pandemic/Epidemic
dark
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Finding community in the end of the world. I like the concept, but the writing felt underwhelming and repetitive at times.
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
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
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
book 6/50 in 2025
★★★☆☆
oh this book.
it made me cry, so much, made me laugh and feel so many different things.
made me want to call my dad and remind him i love him.
made me want to remind all trans people i know, that they are valid, loved and important.
but the ending took a lot from my rating, because I was SURE this was going to be the first 5 star book of the year. it wasn’t and i’m honestly utterly disappointed.
everything was going so great until i’ve hit the 80% mark.
after all, god, if there’s a book you will read, please let it be this one.
★★★☆☆
oh this book.
it made me cry, so much, made me laugh and feel so many different things.
made me want to call my dad and remind him i love him.
made me want to remind all trans people i know, that they are valid, loved and important.
but the ending took a lot from my rating, because I was SURE this was going to be the first 5 star book of the year. it wasn’t and i’m honestly utterly disappointed.
everything was going so great until i’ve hit the 80% mark.
after all, god, if there’s a book you will read, please let it be this one.
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated