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jeyjeyyy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I really liked the historical references and it did teach me a lot about society in Shanghai at that time. However, the fantasy plots did not make a lot of sense to me. I also did not particularly care about what was happening. The romance also felt a bit bland, it was really great at the beginning but I found its ‘resolution’ a bit too easy. Kind of felt like the characters lost most of the fun aspects of their personality about halfway through… What I wanted was angst upon angst and enemies and hatred and tensionand a LOT more romance. I did not really get that. This sounds iind of bad but I wnated it to be more… toxic? I mean this is Romeo and Juliet !!
Not to say I didn’t like the book, it was just not my favourite.
Also REALLY loved the side characters, especially Kathleen and Marshall and Ben. Excited to see more of them.
Graphic: Drug use, Racism, Medical content, Physical abuse, Blood, Body horror, Colonisation, Death of parent, Murder, Sexism, Death, Gun violence, and Violence
cnaccarato's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Death of parent, Blood, Body horror, Medical content, Misogyny, Classism, Death, Pandemic/Epidemic, Alcohol, Gore, Murder, Grief, Gun violence, Xenophobia, Sexism, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Racism
Moderate: Addiction, Emotional abuse, Transphobia, and Drug use
Minor: Police brutality, Outing, Bullying, Sexual content, and Homophobia
superstar_y2k's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
this book speaks on colonialism, racism and white supremacy, murder, betrayal, politics, and other humanitarian topics but somehow oversimplifies and brushes off those topics to follow a clumsy mystery where our romeo & juliette must work together despite their previous murderous betrayals. see, the thing about shakespeare’s romeo & juliette is that the reader wants to root for them. roma & juliette cai aren’t likable characters that i felt didn’t actually love each other.
i could go on, but honestly there are many other reviews i’ve seen that correspond to the way i feel, so i won’t beat a dead horse
Graphic: Violence, Classism, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic, Alcohol, Death, Toxic relationship, Gun violence, Child abuse, Cursing, Toxic friendship, Blood, and Torture
Moderate: Death of parent, Bullying, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Gore, Deadnaming, Fire/Fire injury, and Grief
hmbutler15's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Colonisation, Murder, Gun violence, and Death
Minor: Racism, Death of parent, and Misogyny
serendipity421'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death, Pandemic/Epidemic, Alcohol, Blood, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Murder, Racism, Violence, Classism, and Drug abuse
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: Vomit
bergha1998's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Dark Romance, LGBTQIA+ Representation, Friends to Lovers to Enemies
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Gun violence, Drug abuse, Chronic illness, Body horror, Murder, Drug use, Death of parent, Blood, Torture, Alcohol, Physical abuse, Grief, and Death
archiveofrasa's review against another edition
- 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
Admittedly, I think I would've been more invested in Juliette and Roma had there been flashbacks to them falling in love. I think they're both interesting characters in their own right and the complexities of their relationship are entertaining, so I hope they further develop in the sequel!
The fact the plot drove me more was surprising since I am ultimately a character person at heart, but the setting did a lot for me. I don't mind if there are better representations out there, I very much enjoyed it here. Can't wait to get back into it in the sequel.
Graphic: Violence, Gun violence, and Death
Moderate: Blood, Transphobia, and Racism
Minor: Medical content, Death of parent, and Torture
shelvesofivy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Blood, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Body horror, Xenophobia, Alcohol, and Medical content
Minor: Homophobia, Transphobia, and Death of parent
emilywemily6's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Racism, Blood, Child death, Classism, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Death, Gore, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexism, Violence, Body horror, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, and Misogyny
Moderate: Alcohol, Death of parent, and Medical content
Minor: Cursing, Sexual content, and Homophobia
so_hull'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
3.25
Graphic: Gore, Death, Death of parent, and Blood