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charliethebooklover's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.75
No spoilers!
BEAUTIFUL, AMAZING, PERFECTION!!
This book quite literally saved my life. My friend gave me this book for the holidays back in January, but I wasn't sure about it. I grew tired of dystopian novels a few years ago.
Pfft, not anymore. Yeah, maybe books like Divergent, or The Hunger Games (thought that book is great) are maybe a bit over-talked about, give me more books like this, and that genre will soon be my favorite!
I wish that this book was read in schools everywhere; it's educational AND enjoyable.
Let's talk about the characters. They were fleshed out, each with their own backstory. I usually hate flashbacks, but I didn't mind them in this book. They were complicated, messy, cutthroat, and so utterly human, it's impossible not to route for them. And they're not afraid to call people out, which I relate to on the highest of levels. Kay is such a lovable character, as are the rest. It makes you hate the antagonist with such a passion, and love the protags with the same fury.
The plot was a but messy, but in a purposeful way. This book reflects the discrimination in our lives, and amplifies it to a terrifying amount, that could very possibly happen. I think that plot is all over the place to reflect life in general: life isn't simple with a clean plot you expect. It's messy and brutal and a long ride that seemed so short when it ends.
The writing style was complicated for me. I didn't love it, hate it, but It also wasn't eh. I don't know how I feel about it, but It was very flowy.
And the ending. The ending saved my life.
There are many trigger warnings, so look out for that. But otherwise, read this book, for your own sake. It will change your life like it did mine.
BEAUTIFUL, AMAZING, PERFECTION!!
This book quite literally saved my life. My friend gave me this book for the holidays back in January, but I wasn't sure about it. I grew tired of dystopian novels a few years ago.
Pfft, not anymore. Yeah, maybe books like Divergent, or The Hunger Games (thought that book is great) are maybe a bit over-talked about, give me more books like this, and that genre will soon be my favorite!
I wish that this book was read in schools everywhere; it's educational AND enjoyable.
Let's talk about the characters. They were fleshed out, each with their own backstory. I usually hate flashbacks, but I didn't mind them in this book. They were complicated, messy, cutthroat, and so utterly human, it's impossible not to route for them. And they're not afraid to call people out, which I relate to on the highest of levels. Kay is such a lovable character, as are the rest. It makes you hate the antagonist with such a passion, and love the protags with the same fury.
The plot was a but messy, but in a purposeful way. This book reflects the discrimination in our lives, and amplifies it to a terrifying amount, that could very possibly happen. I think that plot is all over the place to reflect life in general: life isn't simple with a clean plot you expect. It's messy and brutal and a long ride that seemed so short when it ends.
The writing style was complicated for me. I didn't love it, hate it, but It also wasn't eh. I don't know how I feel about it, but It was very flowy.
And the ending. The ending saved my life.
There are many trigger warnings, so look out for that. But otherwise, read this book, for your own sake. It will change your life like it did mine.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Biphobia, Cursing, Racism, Violence, Child death, Cultural appropriation, Racial slurs, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Transphobia, Body shaming, War, and Xenophobia
caseythereader's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Thanks to Atria Books for the free advance copy of this book.
📚 Wowww, this was horrifying. The world of CROSSHAIRS is only a breath away from our own, and it's easy to see the path we'd take to reach it.
📚 Heavy emphasis on intersectionality and how differently oppression works for queer BIPOC and trans people than for white cis queer people who could pass as straight if they wanted to.
📚 The flashback scenes to Kay's drag days were so joyful and loving.
📚 Great discussions of how allyship is an action, not just a label, and how white people can use their privilege to both lift up BIPOC leaders and to put their bodies on the front lines.
•
What I didn't like:
📚 A lot of the dialogue was stiff and unnatural, which took me out of the story a few times.
•
Content warnings: Ableism, bullying, child abuse, child death, deadnaming, death, domestic abuse, emotional abuse, genocide, gun violence, hate crime, homophobia, Islamophobia, kidnapping, physical abuse, police brutality, racial slurs, racism, rape, religious bigotry, sexism, sexual violence, suicide, suicidal thoughts, torture, transphobia, violence, and xenophobia.
📚 Wowww, this was horrifying. The world of CROSSHAIRS is only a breath away from our own, and it's easy to see the path we'd take to reach it.
📚 Heavy emphasis on intersectionality and how differently oppression works for queer BIPOC and trans people than for white cis queer people who could pass as straight if they wanted to.
📚 The flashback scenes to Kay's drag days were so joyful and loving.
📚 Great discussions of how allyship is an action, not just a label, and how white people can use their privilege to both lift up BIPOC leaders and to put their bodies on the front lines.
•
What I didn't like:
📚 A lot of the dialogue was stiff and unnatural, which took me out of the story a few times.
•
Content warnings: Ableism, bullying, child abuse, child death, deadnaming, death, domestic abuse, emotional abuse, genocide, gun violence, hate crime, homophobia, Islamophobia, kidnapping, physical abuse, police brutality, racial slurs, racism, rape, religious bigotry, sexism, sexual violence, suicide, suicidal thoughts, torture, transphobia, violence, and xenophobia.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Islamophobia, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, and Xenophobia
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