Scan barcode
venti's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
also i thought the social commentary of a rebellion for the oppressed upper class was a little funny. like this would be far more interesting if it was from elene’s pov and/or was the story of how she overthrew the government to torture rich people. pure comedy
also the tulip at the end feels like a sequel hook but if it isn’t it feels weirdly reductive to the whole conclusion of the story? like i got the vibe it was from
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Lesbophobia
Minor: Ableism, Child death, and Terminal illness
eclectic_hellscape's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
Graphic: Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Homophobia, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, War, and Classism
Moderate: Medical content, Medical trauma, and Abortion
Minor: Alcohol
owlieali's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Torture, and Blood
Moderate: War
Minor: Homophobia
sarah984's review against another edition
- 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? No
3.0
However, the characters we spend our time focused on are probably the least interesting of the bunch. They spend a lot of time complaining and making impulsive decisions (and then complaining that people don't trust them not to make impulsive decisions) and you only kind of hear about other characters doing cool things in the background. The ending wraps up extremely fast so a lot of the victories don't really feel earned. I get the idea of noting every character’s skintone instead of making special note of who wasn't white, but it really drove home how white the core cast still was so I don't know if it helped.
Also this is a nitpick but if you're retelling Phantom of the Opera and you drop ZERO chandeliers? You're doing it wrong.
Graphic: Torture
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual content, Excrement, Police brutality, Abortion, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
starccato's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Stalking
Minor: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Confinement, Sexual content, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, and Alcohol
booksthatburn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The worldbuilding is fine, it's not very complicated because the story invests its detail in the Queen and the two girls, and the people around them. One thing this portrays very well is emotional abuse and manipulation, and the way that a combination of threats plus unpredictable enforcement can be used to break someone down and make everything feel pointless. The story is about whether Cadence will finally have something that it's worth standing up for, and I appreciate how the story shows why she didn't fight for things before. Even if her reasons seem silly or you can imagine yourself doing more in her shoes (some of her fellow characters think they might have done more), the characterization is so well done to explain why she hadn't before, but without excusing what she's done and continues to do.
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Confinement, Homophobia, Vomit, and Alcohol
Minor: Abortion and Death of parent
mushr00mcore's review against another edition
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Torture, and Blood
Moderate: Homophobia