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bodiesinbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Addiction, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol
deagaric'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
4.0
I loved the unpredictable story line and the family saga aspect of the tale. Though I strongly recommend glancing at the trigger warnings before starting this book (the continued rape and sodomy of a minor is very explicit and highly disturbing and I genuinely wish I had skipped reading those chapters), Kapoor also adds in details about the strengths of human bonds and the need for secure attachment to others even when raised around violence and neglect. Quite a few comedic moments as well, particularly from Sunny's assistant, Eli, towards the end.
I also liked learning about India's geography and spent a decent amount of time googling up the places so I can imagine the setting more clearly. The author was born and raised in northern India and I think brings a special expertise to capturing it as a backdrop to the story.
The reason I give this a 4 rather than 5 is the weird pacing; it'll be 100mph for dozens of pages, and then slow down into a school-zone pace for a 100 more. Particularly around the point of Book/Section 3 and 4, the story became a slog, and took willpower to push through to the end. I assume a lot of the seemling unnecessary backstory will become important in the second and third book of this trilogy, so keeping my eyes peeled for that!
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Gore, Rape, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Alcohol
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Blood, Kidnapping, Car accident, Murder, and Abandonment
Minor: Child abuse, Torture, Abortion, and Death of parent
eringl's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Car accident, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Medical content, Abortion, and Lesbophobia
courto875's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Trafficking, Car accident, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
shanaetheflyest'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
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
juliatfowler's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Classism
dougyounkin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Addiction, Drug use, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Murder
marenboek'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
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Sexual assault, and Violence
mreags92's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Gun violence, and Alcohol
Moderate: Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, and Trafficking
naireeb's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Trafficking, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Car accident, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism