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jkneebone's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I loved this book! It's certainly not for the faint of heart, with lots of graphic violence and generally creepy and upsetting themes, but I honestly adored it. Schwab did an amazing job of weaving together the past and present timelines and the various points of view into a cohesive whole, while also using the structure to slowly reveal the whole picture of Victor and Eli's, and Sydney and Serena's, history. The whole thing was deliciously messed up - all of the characters, especially Victor and Eli, were so twisted, which (to me) makes for a very fun reading experience. I was hooked the whole way through, and I'll definitely be picking up the sequel as soon as I can.
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Murder, Torture, Gun violence, Violence, Animal death, and Blood
Minor: Addiction
nekoshka's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Murder, Gun violence, Animal death, Suicide, Self harm, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Blood, Child death, and Torture
Minor: Child abuse, Addiction, and Alcoholism
ladynavalon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Car accident, Violence, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Suicide attempt, Stalking, Religious bigotry, Murder, Mental illness, Medical content, Abandonment, Addiction, Body horror, Torture, Physical abuse, Gun violence, and Grief
donatio's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I loved the writing style and how she skipped back and forth between the past and the present. The characters were well-crafted and I found a connection to every one of them, especially Victor's group of strays.
It was not really action-packed but I still loved how the story evolved.
Before reading one should check the trigger warnings, because it gets dark at points and "There are no good men in this game" is quite true. The mix of flashbacks and present might be annoying for some people too.
Graphic: Violence, Toxic friendship, Suicide, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, Child abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Toxic relationship, Death, Deadnaming, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, and Suicide attempt
astrid_mel's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Medical content, Medical trauma, Blood, Violence, Hate crime, Self harm, Animal cruelty, Religious bigotry, Death, Animal death, Gun violence, and Murder
Moderate: Alcohol, Toxic friendship, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, and Child abuse
Minor: Car accident, Alcoholism, and Addiction
alexandrabelze's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Suicide, Violence, Cursing, Drug use, Toxic friendship, Self harm, Torture, Animal death, Blood, Gun violence, Death, Gore, Alcohol, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Child death, Medical content, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Stalking, and Abandonment
Minor: Addiction and Alcoholism
emohan'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? No
5.0
Graphic: Suicide and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Cursing, Murder, Gun violence, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Self harm, Toxic friendship, and Addiction
rosenau's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death, Car accident, Body horror, Torture, Self harm, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Gore, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Alcohol, Addiction, Animal death, Violence, Toxic friendship, Self harm, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, Alcoholism, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Confinement, Drug use, and Religious bigotry
saurahsaurus's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Gaslighting, Gore, Torture, Medical content, Death, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Self harm, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Animal death, Car accident, Abandonment, Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Child death, Drug abuse, and Drug use
Minor: Addiction, Classism, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Suicide, Confinement, Suicide attempt, and Stalking
house_of_hannah's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Each character feels unique, but also real. They all have their own personalities, and I found it really easy to fall in love with the ragtag group of found family. I see that this is supposed to be a series, and although I don't really see where it's going to go based on the ending, I definitely wouldn't mind spending more time with these characters.
I did feel that the story was a tad too long. The short chapters definitely helped in mitigating that though. There are quite a few moments of "plot convenience", which is what brings it down to a 4 for me. Those moments really stick out to me, and unfortunately take me out of the story.
Overall, I am just straight up happy with this book, and I'll be thinking about it a lot over the next few days.
Graphic: Murder, Religious bigotry, Gun violence, Violence, Animal death, Self harm, Stalking, Blood, Death, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Abandonment, Addiction, Alcoholism, Fire/Fire injury, and Mental illness