Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

The Four by Ellie Keel

4 reviews

lue_moon's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

While I liked the premise and the unexpected queer rep, this ended up as a "meh" book for me. I should have known when it was compared to If We Were Villians, it wasn't going to be for me. 

I did like much of the writing in this book, but a lot of the story felt equal parts confusing and unnecessary. There was trauma on top of trauma and things that happened that felt like it was for the sake of some shock factor rather than to move the plot. And I know it was likely to keep readers guessing, but how many times in one book can you use the plot device of people getting interrupted right before they reveal important information? (It happens so often to the point of annoyance for me).

I do appreciate that the queer rep was just another part of the story rather than one of the main trauma points. I did like the writing enough that I would give this author another try, probably.

Oh, and pretty significant content warnings

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Eating disorder and Suicide

_bird_'s review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

Wow. I wasn't expecting this book to turn out the way that it did. I can’t remember the last time I got emotional over a book but this left me with watery eyes. The author does an impeccable job at telling the story of four hopeful, vastly different yet similar kids who embark on their journey at a boarding school that they hope will change their lives for the better. What happens in the time that they are at High Realms is so heart breaking relatable, so devastating, it’s a roller coaster of emotions that make you question how far you would go to protect your friends and those you love. It also paints a very raw and brutal portrait of what unchecked trauma does to a person especially when it’s compounded with events that continue to tear you apart. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment

staxreads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

It was a bit of a weird one and I'm not sure how to rate it as a whole. I was oddly hooked on this book yet felt little / no connection to any of the characters. The story was gripping yet I felt that the 'serious' parts were over the top and unnecessarily violent. Honestly there were times when I wasn't sure that I wanted to continue reading, yet I could not bring myself to put the book down.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

tbrhannah's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• 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

4.5

beautifully written, dark, cruel book. i could almost never guess where this was going. a few things didn’t make sense but overall great read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Mental illness, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide, Torture, Blood, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Body horror, Fatphobia, Vomit, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Cancer, Abortion, and Abandonment