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ngrant88's review
Graphic: Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Bullying, Child abuse, Outing, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Transphobia, War, Self harm, Adult/minor relationship, Deadnaming, and Sexual violence
alsoapples's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Transphobia
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Deadnaming, Transphobia, Outing, Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Alcoholism
lastsilversunset's review
3.75
Graphic: Deadnaming, Dysphoria, Transphobia, and Racism
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Rape, Domestic abuse, and Sexual assault
theomar's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, and Transphobia
Moderate: Self harm and Toxic friendship
mercapto's review
- 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
3.75
But I wish the blurb had made the focus Katrina! It reads like Lan and her donuts broke the curse when it was Katrina being her wonderful self that made Shizuka change!
Aoki is wonderfully imaginative, and obviously has many stories to tell - I can tell that she wanted to pour everything into this book. I get it, a book crossing deals with demons with an intergalactic family and the story of a trans girl finding herself is very unique, is going to stand out more than individual books in each genre. But… I can’t help but think I’d rather have read a separate book for each theme. Or even just demons deals and the Katrina storyline. Or even just a longer book! A series that blends together in one final novel!
Katrina’s narrative is so much more in depth than the other two main characters, and it’s clear that writing what you know works well for Aoki - even without looking her up I could tell that whoever was writing Katrina had real experience either being trans or was heavily involved in the trans community, and the way she writes these scenes, so matter-of-fact, so real, is where her ability shines through - “The violin had given Katrina a voice with which to sing. And now, that newfound voice was pushing her, urging Katrina to speak.”
It’s not that she doesn’t write Shizuka or Lan well, it’s just that there’s not enough pages to flesh them out properly - they are big concepts and backstories that need a bit more handholding to understand than Katrina, who’s backstory, sadly, we are all familiar with in today’s reality. And so effective is her writing of Katrina, that no matter how well Shizuka and Lan are written, they will pale in comparison to her. I felt I really knew Katrina, but Lan and Shizuka? I just didn’t feel the connection to each other, unfortunately.
Unlike others, I don’t mind the changes in POV, I feel like with a book like this you need it to understand the complex world. It actually reminded me a bit of Les Mis, in a way, because there’s so much going on and so many characters you need to see into their heads. Of course, it’s a lot choppier in this novel, but I still think it’s fine. I also liked the food descriptions, in think they worked well and were quite immersive, and actually made me want to go out and appreciate all the hidden little eateries with hidden stories where I live!
This was an enjoyable read, and had a lot to offer. There’s a lot of in depth analogies and metaphors, and I think a very thought-provoking book.
Graphic: Death, Transphobia, Racism, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Toxic friendship, Rape, Homophobia, Domestic abuse, Child death, and Physical abuse
scmiller's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Outing, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Bullying, Dysphoria, Body shaming, Transphobia, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Racism, Classism, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, Rape, Blood, Grief, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Gun violence, Hate crime, Lesbophobia, and Murder
Minor: Ableism, Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, Self harm, Pedophilia, Gaslighting, and Gore
apollo0325'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Sexism, Dysphoria, Outing, Transphobia, Bullying, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, and Homophobia
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Deadnaming, Rape, Violence, Body shaming, and Self harm
Minor: War
babyghanoush's review
- 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
Moderate: Transphobia, Sexual assault, and Domestic abuse
jmermelstein14's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Transphobia
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual violence
Minor: Domestic abuse and Child abuse
jesselopod's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Deadnaming, Racial slurs, Outing, Sexual content, Lesbophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Body shaming, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Bullying, Child abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Transphobia