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paigicus'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
4.75
Graphic: Bullying, Suicide attempt, and Mental illness
Minor: Child death and Medical content
irammy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Sexual assault, Child abuse, Cancer, Child death, and Suicide attempt
bugaboobear'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
4.75
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Child death, Suicide attempt, and Terminal illness
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, and Grief
starryfruits's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I have a small note about how it ended and it was not as satisfying as i woukd have hoped or liked, but it was nicely done.
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Sexual assault and Suicide attempt
laffi'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? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Car accident, Death, Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Rape, Abandonment, Child death, Gaslighting, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Grief, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Violence, Sexual assault, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Alcohol and Alcoholism
errie's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Bullying, Confinement, and Mental illness
Moderate: Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, and Toxic friendship
florecita_lectora'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? No
4.75
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Bullying, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, and Sexual violence
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
soupsoupsoup'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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Sexual assault, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Adult/minor relationship, Terminal illness, and Child death
Minor: Car accident and Death of parent
tiriol'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? No
5.0
Graphic: Sexual assault, Chronic illness, and Bullying
Moderate: Child death, Abandonment, Suicide attempt, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Violence, Toxic friendship, Grief, Adult/minor relationship, and Death
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