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ediedidntdie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
If you like terribly written books with amazing characters, then I recommend this book.
To be honest, the first book in this series is more of a really really long first chapeter; but if you can get through it, the series does become better.
The plot doesn’t make sense. Following Neil Josten, a serial killers son who’s been running from his father all his life and has finally decided to stop running in order to follow his life long dream of becoming an “exy” star (a made up, extremely dangerous sport) on an collage team made up of lost young people. And you may be thinking “Why would I want to read a book about a fictional sport” well I thought that too, and trust me you shouldn’t want to read it it’s shit.
The opinions on the characters change with each reader, however If you don’t like any of them there’s a very VERY slight chance of you liking this book.
Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Car accident, Child abuse, Ableism, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Drug abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, and Vomit
leeresbuchregal's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Cursing, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Violence
Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Drug abuse, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Car accident, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gaslighting, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
avaleigh123's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Child death, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Abandonment, Blood, Bullying, Car accident, and Gun violence
maclogue's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Ableism, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Car accident, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Grief, Homophobia, Hate crime, Misogyny, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment
louisa_pennyfeather2021's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic friendship, and Violence
Moderate: Addiction, Car accident, Confinement, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Torture, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Ableism, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Homophobia, Outing, Panic attacks/disorders, and Vomit
solinel7's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Look up the Trigger Warnings if you plan on reading this.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Car accident, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Murder, Violence, and Vomit
tteeth'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
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Car accident, Child abuse, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Murder, and Physical abuse
joana_ft9's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
-28/10/2020- still 4 stars, love these books
Graphic: Car accident, Violence, Sexual assault, Murder, Grief, Drug use, and Death of parent
bisquii's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
The depiction of mental illness is a little iffy at times, and the way the author describes the effects of an anti-psychotic prescription drug doesn’t seem realistic to me (as I have never taken an anti-psychotic, I don’t know exactly what the effects are).
Its important to remember that this series is incredibly dramatic, and the content reflects that! It strays from realism a lot, and has elements that seem unrealistic, but if you view the series as a drama, it makes more sense!
Graphic: Alcoholism, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Car accident, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, and Sexual assault
PLEASE LOOK UP TRIGGER WARNINGS BEFORE YOU READ!! Its a great book and I encourage people to read it but ONLY if they are comfortable/able to read the content.samchase112'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
It’s not the world that’s cruel. It’s the people in it.
Did I seriously just finish this book in 5 hours? I was so totally engrossed in the storyline that I couldn't even be bothered to change into pjs. The pages kept flipping, and all I could think was "one...more...chapter..." I love, love, love these characters so much, with all their messed-up priorities and crazy addictions and even insane violent tendencies. I don't know how it happened, but somehow I grew to love them despite all their flaws.
As he slipped the lock into place again he realized his hand was trembling. He held up his shaky fingers where he could see them better and wondered at the equally weak flutter in his chest. Hope was a dangerous, disquieting thing, but he thought perhaps he liked it.
Especially Neil, Andrew, and Kevin. Neil is my baby, he must be protected at all costs and sohelpmegods I will force him to find a home with these boys if it kills me. His obvious desperation that grew into a quiet confidence, and even a little hope, was everything. Kevin grew from stay-away-from-me-I'm-untouchable to I-have-such-a-tragic-past-and-I-need-love so quick I didn't realize what hit me. And Andrew. How can you not adore Andrew and everything he does for the people he cares about?! The supporting characters were equally as interesting, though I hated Nicky a bit by the end there. Ah well, all a part of the game ;) I don't want to make too many Raven Cycle parallels here, but Ronan is Andrew no questions asked; Adam is Neil (blooming romance included); and Kevin is undoubtedly Gansey. I could write a freaking essay about the similarities between each respective character, but needless to say I can see why people would recommend this series for fans of [b:The Raven Boys|17675462|The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle, #1)|Maggie Stiefvater|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1477103737s/17675462.jpg|18970934] - and I say the same.
Exy was a bastard sport, an evolved sort of lacrosse on a soccer-sized court with the violence of ice hockey, and Neil loved every part of it.
Exy is such a fantastic game to read about, and I loved the passion these characters have for it. I'm a huge sports fan, so the sports scenes were engrossing to me. Nevertheless, I could see how it could become really confusing for someone who didn't understand the basics of lacrosse; the explanations and play-by-plays were clear enough to me, but I could see how they could become confusing to others. As for me, I frequently found myself gritting my teeth in frustration during the game against Breckenridge, and cheering on little ol' Neil and a perfectly cocky Andrew. Seriously, I was so into these games that when the plot twist happened at the end all I could think (please don't judge) was "great, this will help the team mesh better and go on to win it all!"
It sounded like a dream; it tasted like damnation.
The plot was totally unbelievable..........but who freaking cares?! Call me crazy, but I had so much fun with gangs and murder and drugs and sneaking out and punching everyone left and right. Every single oh-so-sincere "I hate you" or not-so-sincere sarcastic remark was said in such a way that I basically cracked up. I don't know, it was just something about this book that I absolutely loved, and which spoke to me on an entertainment level that ended up getting me way too invested in these characters and this outrageous plot. Whoops :)
Keys meant Neil had explicit permission to be here and do what he liked. They meant he belonged.
Despite my obvious new obsession with this book, it certainly had its flaws. The plot didn't seem to have much structure, and I wouldn't be surprised to find out the author wrote a whole giant book and then was asked to cut it up into three parts. That means I am really looking forward to the next book, but it also just shows the lack of structure here. The author also had a bit of an odd writing style, mostly in terms of grammar. It's hard to explain, but sometimes the characters' names were mentioned a ton in a couple sentences, while it wouldn't have been confusing to just use "he" once in a while. There were copy editing mistakes as well, which aren't much of a problem but can become a nuisance to some people. Some of the plot points were also pretty hard to follow, such as the specifics of Kevin's, Andrew/Aaron's, and Neil's pasts, respectively. I'm hoping this issue, at least, is fixed up a bit in the next books.
Welcome to the Foxhole Court.
As you can see, I am not way too invested in these insane, violent characters and the brutal game they love. I need the next books in my hands, asap!
Note: this was probably not a coherent review, because I honestly just wanted to get my thoughts down and forget about having it make sense in any way - sorry!
Bonus quote for my Andrew x Neil loving heart: It's fine, Coach," Andrew said, catching up to them. He touched Neil's back on his way by, fingers light enough to give Neil goose bumps, but didn't slow on his way to Kevin's side.
Reread August 2019
Am I too obsessed with these characters? Definitely not. Never.
This is a perfect series to reread, because once you’ve seen how everything plays out a reread will show how many little details and signs are hidden in the first book. I LOVE IT. I LOVE THESE CHARACTERS!
Reread October 2019
I am such FREAKING TRASH FOR THIS SERIES.
The dark humor gets to me every time. Seriously, I crack up. I also want to cry half the time, and the other half I’m smiling at these insane characters. These are my children, okay? Andrew and Neil deserve the ENTIRE WORLD. And, okay, Kevin too.
So, um, yeah. I’m trash and I’m okay with it.
Reread September 2020
Hope was a dangerous, disquieting thing, but he thought perhaps he liked it.
It's been over a year, and I'm STILL so freaking OBSESSED with these characters and their stories that it's actually becoming a problem. I'm always gasping and laughing out loud throughout the book, even the fourth (!!!) time through. I just keep saying the same things over and over in these reviews, but what else is there to say? I can't seem to find any other words; all I can say is that you need to read this book, because I'm addicted. Oh well.
*note: I typed that quote up there from memory. if that doesn't tell you something...
Reread November 2022
Damn, I just can’t get enough of this story. It gets funnier and darker and more engrossing the more I read it. I just tried to explain why I loved it to my mom, and woo boy my ramblings made absolutely no sense. Guess I’m a bit messed in the head, but at this point I’m too far gone to care.
Reread June 2023
Reading this book literally evokes shrieks and laughter and physical reactions from me, I can’t help it. I’m so attached to these characters it’s not even funny. I’m almost resentful of the library books I have to read now because I want to start The Raven King so freaking badly. Oh well, guess I’ll just have to give this one another looksie when I get there…
Graphic: Alcohol, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Vomit, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Alcoholism, Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, Violence, Rape, Suicide, Drug abuse, and Grief
Minor: Car accident