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hippievamp'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, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, Excrement, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Vomit
Minor: Addiction, Antisemitism, and Alcohol
ceruleanshelves'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
4.75
Mors irrumat omnia. Death fucks us all.
i INHALED this book, omg. this was a VAST change of pace from shadow & bone and i much preferred it. it was very reminiscent to vicious but more complicated with it's worldbuilding and lore and a stronger theme of sexism and corruption in academia and society.
“I let you die. To save myself, I let you die.
That is the danger in keeping company with survivors.”
i LOVE alex, she's a fighter, a survivor. she is grit and teeth and isn't afraid to bite. it was really cool to see sephardic jewish rep and seeing ladino used in magic. darlington is naively pretentious but unavoidably loveable. this is yet another case of i don't know who i want to be or be with more lol. let the bi panic ensue.
“All you children playing with fire, looking surprised when the house burns down”
i would say the first maybe 10-20% or so was slow for me. not bad but i didn't feel driven until a certain point was hit - and then it took off from there. bardugo's creativity in constructing the houses of lethe and crafting how certain magics fit in with them, intermingled with an undercurrent of demonology and other deathlore, and the weaving of race/class/gender politics within a town and society that is very much built for a specific demographic to come out on top was masterful. i also, despite the sometimes grim scenarios, found myself still huffing in a laugh at the dry humor that tended to come from alex.
“I want to survive this world that keeps trying to destroy me.”
i'm excited to jump into book 2 asap!
Time to go to hell
Graphic: Death, Sexism, Sexual assault, Blood, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Classism
Minor: Cancer, Gun violence, Misogyny, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit
alexstartsthings'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
4.25
Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Gore, Rape, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Excrement, Medical trauma, and Classism
emmiemopho'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: Body horror, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Addiction and Blood
Minor: Bullying
emilywemily6'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Addiction, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Vomit, Police brutality, and Stalking
emmirosereads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
I will be honest and say I don't think I would have gotten through this book, let alone so quickly, if I hadn't listened to the audiobook. The audiobook narrator does a really good job and makes the experience really enjoyable. I love the dark and gritty world Leigh Bardugo builds for us in our world today. I think the way she writes and tells this story is unique in how she flip-flops between timelines, giving us little bits of information to trail us to the big finish. That being said there is a lot of world lore that gets thrown at us at once which can be a lot to take in.
I love Alex Stern as our main character. She's tough and gritty and I love seeing how she fights to overcome and conquer everything in her life, despite everything going against her. I loved seeing how Leigh Bardugo deals with the themes throughout the book, of race and class. Of an underdog getting a second chance at life, but at what cost? Just seeing how she writes and deals with Alex Stern's moral grayness throughout this book.
This book is definitely not for the faint of heart and is not a book for everyone but I'm glad I at least gave it a chance. I'm having mixed feelings about the ending but I'm interested to see what the sequel brings.
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Car accident and Fire/Fire injury
kiwij96'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
4.0
The concept for this book is well thought-out: Alex is a young girl plagued by ghosts, both metaphorical and literal, who finds herself with a free pass to one of the most prestigious universities as a result of her gift, and also where finds herself in the midst of at least 3 murder mysteries. However, at times the chapters were too long, paragraphs too clunky or generally too wordy. Her roommate characters were also super forgettable and definitely plot devices.
I would highly recommend checking your trigger warnings for this because there are some heavy topics and triggering scenes in here if you are unprepared.
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
themdash'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
4.75
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Trafficking, Stalking, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
erupoo's review against another edition
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Blood, Vomit, Murder, and Abandonment
frawst_disasta_reads'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
4.25
There are graphic scenes, though, and a couple descriptions left me feeling sick.
I couldn’t give it five stars, because I felt the prologue and first chapter didn’t draw me in, so much as confuse me. However, chapter two helped and I found after that, the timelines were fascinating, not just confusing.
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Child abuse