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sleepy_stardust'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
But oh my god, does Maeve Chambers ruin it.
At first, a romance subplot began with one of the side characters, Roe. It's eased into, and I found myself enjoying their relationship. Then, out of nowhere, they share a passionate kiss. No build-up, nothing, nada. From then on, I found it difficult to empathize with the main character's love problems; it's difficult to be surprised that a relationship isn't going well when the couple doesn't know one another.
Maeve's also pretty unlikeable in general. In the beginning, she seemed realistically imperfect. Were her flaws difficult to tolerate? Yes. Could I understand where she was coming from? Also, yes. However, as the novel progresses, her perspective becomes increasingly infuriating. She invalidates her partner's insecurities about their unstable relationship (which started after his sister went missing, mind you, and partly because of Maeve). She's overly capricious and causes mini-conflicts in the novel that are entirely superfluous and unworthy of the reader's attention.
Besides Maeve's characterization problems, the novel's ending is incredibly cliché. It reads like the end of a pilot episode of a crime-fighting show, where the main characters have finally realized that they're meant to take on the mysteries of the world together. It's horrendously underwhelming; O'Donoghue would have been better off starting the second book and adding exposition throughout to explain the characters' backstories.
Roe and Fiona were enough to save this book from being a total drag for me, though.
2.5☆ / 5☆
Graphic: Homophobia, Xenophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Self harm, Racism, Religious bigotry, and Emotional abuse
veggiestrawenjoyer13'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? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Hate crime, Transphobia, Homophobia, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Death and Cursing
Minor: Toxic friendship, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Suicide, and Domestic abuse
claireclimbstrees'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
3.75
Graphic: Self harm and Homophobia
Moderate: Racism
se_wigget'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
44%: Wow--a sea monkeys reference... about an hour after I finished listening to an American Hysteria podcast episode about Sea Monkeys!
Graphic: Violence, Lesbophobia, Racism, Homophobia, Self harm, Biphobia, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Bullying, Hate crime, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Death and Grief
oddduck's review against another edition
4.0
Moderate: Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Transphobia, Blood, Homophobia, Violence, Deadnaming, Bullying, Lesbophobia, and Racism
Minor: Alcohol and Domestic abuse
beckyyreadss'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
4.0
Graphic: Hate crime, Violence, Religious bigotry, and Homophobia
Moderate: Bullying, Racism, and Self harm
theoriginalbookdragon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Hate crime, Self harm, Homophobia, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Medical content
elliereadsthings's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
“I lean my head on his shoulder and wonder just how much easier life would be if I weren’t in love with Roe O’Callaghan. But, oh god, how boring.”
Graphic: Homophobia, Vomit, Violence, Transphobia, Toxic friendship, Self harm, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Cursing, Colonisation, and Blood
Moderate: Trafficking, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Racism, Mental illness, Medical content, Lesbophobia, Biphobia, Bullying, and Alcohol
Minor: Stalking, Sexual content, Religious bigotry, Outing, Murder, Misogyny, Adult/minor relationship, Suicide, Sexism, Kidnapping, Grief, Excrement, Death, Infidelity, Deadnaming, Abortion, Domestic abuse, Classism, and Child death
radler'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
4.25
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Self harm, Religious bigotry, Medical content, Homophobia, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, and Hate crime
_nutella52'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: Self harm, Transphobia, Racism, Homophobia, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Blood and Injury/Injury detail