Scan barcode
ms_sarah621's review
challenging
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I’m not sure how to put this into words. First, this was nothing what I thought it was going to be. I thought there was going to be a strong focus on concussions and the changing perspective of them in sports. I thought there would be some fantasy/sci-fi elements mixed in. However, it was not that. At first, I was into the changing realities and what was happening. The confusion, the mystery, the tension. It was intriguing and kept my interest, even though it was different from my expectations. Then, the political/social justice elements became stronger and stronger as I read. Now, it’s important for books to handle these tough topics. Yet, this book tried to handle too many of them at once. It just kept coming and coming, and I started to lose the point of the story. This really caused my enjoyment level to be smushed as I kept reading. This book was too much and didn’t cover the topic of concussions like I thought. It was still interesting, and I love Neal Shusterman’s writing. This was just not the one for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Car accident, Bullying, Hate crime, Outing, Racism, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Terminal illness, Police brutality, and Gun violence
sharkysheets's review
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Be prepared for strange, reads much less serious than Dry or Roxy
Content Warnings
Moderate: Car accident, Sexism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Racism, Cursing, Addiction, Bullying, Classism, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Cultural appropriation, and Gun violence
trixiebelle's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship
Moderate: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, and Grief
persipha_books's review against another edition
adventurous
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Outing, Terminal illness, Death, and Car accident
Minor: Drug use, Body shaming, Homophobia, Blood, Gun violence, Medical content, and Physical abuse
reiki's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Homophobia, and Toxic relationship
kshertz's review
adventurous
challenging
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
This book is seriously challenging. It would have been a good resistance book club pick. It’s like butterfly wings and the changes that seem small change the entire world. It made me think and reflect on the past, gender, racism, and future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Misogyny, Sexism, Car accident, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Hate crime, Homophobia, Racism, and Toxic relationship
alouette's review
funny
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
At our best, we only see a glimpse of the universal gearwork, and even then, we don't understand what we see. Some people find that demoralizing- but to me it's comforting. Because if all of existence was something a human mind could comprehend, what a sad, pathetic universe this would be.
as a queer, afab, person of colour (who can't do sports!), i'm basically everything that Ash is not. so none of the revelations he faced in the course of this novel were particularly eye-opening to me. however, i think the idea was important, and Neal Shusterman's writing style is very easy to read- it flows very, very well. the absurdist magical realism and brain-boggling descriptions were so fun and enjoyable; i loved the twists that it took, especially near the start when all we knew of what was going to happen was "blue stop signs"! a lot of the dialogue made me laugh, as well, and a lot of other lines were just good phrasing of what's happening in the world right now. overall, this wasn't some life-changing book for me, but a read that made me happy anyways because of its accessibility and good intentions.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, Sexism, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Police brutality and Violence
mira123's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Ich bin ein großer Fan von Neal Shustermans Büchern. "Scythe" hat mich total gefesselt und die "Vollendet"-Reihe erst recht. Deswegen war für mich auch klar, dass ich auch sein neues Buch "Game Changer" lesen will.
In welcher Welt würdet ihr Leben wollen, wenn ihr zwischen allen möglichen Paralleluniversen wählen könntet? Ich hätte da schon so ein paar Wünsche, die ich mir gerne erfüllen würde... Blöd nur, dass das in diesem Buch nicht so funktioniert. Ash landet nämlich völlig unvorbereitet in dieser schrägen Position als Mittelpunkt des Universums. Das bedeutet konkret: Er kann zwischen den Paralleluniversen wechseln. Was zu Beginn für ihn zwar eine verwirrende Situation ist, aber keine Katastrophe für die Welt bedeutet, führt bald zur Wiedereinführung der Rassentrennung. Ihr seht: Die Situation ist recht schnell eskaliert. Und irgendwie muss er jetzt dafür sorgen, dass er wieder zurück in seine Welt kommt oder vielleicht sogar in eine bessere. Blöd nur, dass ihm keiner erklären kann, was genau er dafür machen muss...
Bis jetzt hört sich das einfach an wie ein normaler Fantasy-Thriller, oder? Allerdings wäre das kein Buch von Neal Shusterman, wenn es nicht gleichzeitig um sehr ernste Themen ginge. Es geht hier um Privilegien, die man sich oft gar nicht bewusst ist, wenn man sie hat. Ich meine: Ich denke kaum darüber nach, dass ich weiß bin. Meine Hautfarbe spielt in meinem Leben keine Rolle. Gleichzeitig aber doch, denn sie bewahrt mich vor Problemen und Diskriminierung. Und Ash ist da ziemlich ähnlich. In der Theorie weiß er, dass er privilegiert ist. Aber so richtig bewusst wird ihm das erst im Laufe der Handlung.
Ich muss euch leider sagen, dass ich den Schreibstil in diesem Buch schwächer fand als in den anderen Büchern von Neal Shusterman. Bei den anderen Büchern war ich absolut begeistert vom Stil und konnte das sie gar nicht mehr aus der Hand legen. Hier war der Stil schon okay, aber halt nicht mehr. Vielleicht liegt das an der Übersetzung, ich hab bis jetzt aber keines der Bücher im Original gelesen und kann das deswegen auch nicht wirklich beurteilen.
Mein Fazit? Spannend, aber leider etwas schwächer als die anderen Bücher Shustermanns.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use, Homophobia, Misogyny, Outing, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, and Toxic relationship
kbergsten's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
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? Yes
5.0
Excellent definitely recommend!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Hate crime, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Slavery, Sexism, Racial slurs, Racism, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Misogyny, and Medical content
sarahkv's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Racism, and Toxic relationship
More...