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readwithloz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Minor: Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Bullying, and Mental illness
catwhisperer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Child death, Fatphobia, Chronic illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Gaslighting, and Mental illness
kaydeedickins's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Cancer, Child death, and Bullying
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Genocide, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Mental illness
Minor: Self harm, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual assault
thewordsdevourer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.0
ultimately it boils down to a few things. first, the writing: nothing wrong w/ sparse language normally, but im not a fan of how tsujimura uses it in the novel. it feels like sth's missing, and the overuse of short sentences and the start of new line breaks rly irritate me, as more often than not there's literally no reason for that and it cheapens the impact of moments that truly warrant it. i dislike the translation thats riddled w/ typos, frequent awkward phrasing, and inadequate copyediting as well.
the book feels too long for me too; some scenes could def be cut out or shortened. the first half is hair-wringingly slow and i almost dropped the book. i also feel a puzzling disconnection w/ the characters. we spend so much time in kokoro's head and only learn abt the others at the story's climax. moreover, the scenes we see of the young ppl who spend time in the castle dont rly do much, often theyre repetitive and dont further the characterization. each of them keeps up such high walls over themselves it's hard to connect to them - tho it doesnt render one immune to their plight - thus what we see of them is an incomplete picture that doesnt fill itself in until the very end, and thats way too long of a wait.
as a result of said disconnection, this story has little emotional payoff for me despite the huge potential. this book def has very relevant and important themes, and each piece of the puzzle comes tgt nicely in the end, w/ the last scenes of rion + the wolf queen, him + kokoro, and her w/ aki being well-plotted and a lil touching. the problem is, i wouldve been touched so so so much more if only what precedes those scenes thru much of the book were better. it's like what shouldve resulted in a beautifully flowing fountain turns out to merely be a few measly drops of water from a tap.
tldr: im not surprised this book's liked by many, but its deficient execution leaves me unsatisfied and bemoaning over its wasted potential.
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders and Bullying
Moderate: Chronic illness and Mental illness
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Sexual harassment, and Suicide attempt
risemini's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: Death, Cancer, Bullying, Child death, Suicide attempt, Adult/minor relationship, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, and Suicidal thoughts
bibliomikee'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
5.0
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Bullying, and Mental illness
Moderate: Child death
andatherrin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Mental illness, Bullying, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Body shaming, Cancer, Sexual harassment, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Pedophilia
edgaranjapoe'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: Bullying and Mental illness
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Violence, Toxic friendship, Adult/minor relationship, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Alcohol, Abandonment, Grief, Sexual assault, Blood, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Suicide attempt, Cancer, Pregnancy, Car accident, Child abuse, Death of parent, Death, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Child death, and Suicidal thoughts
nitroglycerin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Child death, Death, Mental illness, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Cancer, Child abuse, and Panic attacks/disorders
unicorndreams's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Minor: Mental illness and Bullying