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torimc's review
challenging
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Homophobia
zoe_'s review
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This one absolutely did not work for me. The sad thing is, I realized this pretty early on and decided to keep going anyway. I could have saved myself so much frustration if I had just dnf-ed this. Welp, too late now.
Firstly, however, I‘d like to point out some (potential) good aspects of the story as it might be a book you could enjoy. Actually, there are two positives I can think of: I do think the atmosphere could have worked if I were a different person and I did like the very end of the book.
Sadly, seeing as I am not a different person, the atmosphere didn’t work for me which is due to the fact that I was pretty disgusted and in disbelief of the central relationship. These two people were so hell-bent on destroying each other (and having themselves destroyed?) that it was soo exhausting to read about. But also, I still don’t understand why Paul was so violent? Did this just develop because his father died? Has it been an issue before? Furthermore, while I do appreciate that it turns out that Julian tried to actually be nice and we only perceived him as fully toxic because we ever only experienced him through the Paul, I‘m just not convinced that „trying to be nice“ is deserving of forgiveness. Because he clearly also tried to hurt Paul a lot. Frankly, both these boys deserved something better than each other (and themselves). And particularly the fact that I never managed to understand their motivation was damning fo my liking of the story. I mean, come on, wanting to kill someone to make them pay for killing someone and they really thought this was morally justified? These are supposed to be bright people. And the justifications really were flimsy at best.
More generally, I didn’t think the story was all that engaging. Once I realized what kind of relationship Julien & Paul would strike up (and how toxic it would be) I wasn’t surprised by anything anymore. But it also didn’t upset me in the way I think the book wanted me to be upset. The second half of the story, consequently, becomes severely boring.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Violence, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Sexual violence
clevermor's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I LOVE this book! The characters are absolutely horrible and the main character's relationship is toxic but thats part of why i couldnt stop reading. The last few chapters had me SOBBING and sitting with my mouth hanging open in shock.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Homophobia
biblioleah's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
this book reads like heartache. it is a book about people who are hurting and in turn want to hurt the world for what it’s done to them. it is not a love story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Antisemitism, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Toxic relationship
alylentz's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The second half of this book was really engaging for me, but the first half was very slow and hard to get through. I appreciate the need to build the specific dynamic between Paul and Julian, but it felt developed to the point of overdoing it by the time the action really picked up. The pacing was just off for me. I liked the ending a lot, but felt like I could take or leave the rest, even though it is very much my thing on paper.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Toxic relationship
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