Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

This Is Where the World Ends by Amy Zhang

3 reviews

andreafiggy's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad tense fast-paced

• 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

2.5

The biggest part of the book that you're searching for is that Janie is dead, Janie set the house fire, and Micah had absolutely nothing to do with either things. Okay? I figured that out very, very early on; I'm not feeling a groundbreaking change.

Zhang's writing style was, without a doubt, the biggest thing drawing me through this book. Though her imagery and character movements did sometimes feel subpar, the ideas and themes as a whole felt really interesting and beautiful. Not to mention the journal pages throughout the book – EXTREMELY creative. The plot, too, though rather easy to figure out from the jump (and I can always entertain a book that has a familiar plot line or set of tropes), was a well-written reflection on young minds and desperations.

Besides that, I finished this book not liking a single character. (Maybe the English teacher.) Not a single one of them received any sort of closure or comeuppance.

Micah, for instance, recovered his memory and just. Decides to go to Nepal? Which doesn't deviate him from the person that Janie pulled around? He just takes up her dream? And I can understand Ander not receiving his punishment – hear, hear, to modern day justice – but Piper, who watched a girl get raped, gets her confession included in a very strange page and a half of her showing up out of nowhere and slapping Micah. Janie, perhaps, feels like the one who received the most well-rounded conclusion, but by the time you get to it, I can't even like her character very much to feel as much sympathy as I wish I had.

I would have wanted some of the conflict introduced to have a resolution aside from Janie's death. Some characters introduced appear and disappear without a trace, and I had hoped throughout that they would return.

It's Thirteen Reasons Why with a sunshine-girl-meets-introvert-sad-guy trope, and I wish it had been handled a bit better. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault, Suicide, Bullying, Death, Rape, Sexual harassment, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Death of parent

destiny_jay's review against another edition

emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.5

This reminded me a lot of my best friend, in possibly the worst ways. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, Rape, Alcohol, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Infidelity, Violence, and Vomit

desidala's review

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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Content Warnings

Minor: Sexual assault, Suicide, and Suicide attempt