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cobaltbookshelf's review against another edition
3.0
It took me a while to get into this book, it has The Inheritance Game vibes and I did like rep and riddles. I enjoyed this book even that beginning was rough.
grae's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- 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
izzys_internet_bookshelf's review
3.0
3.5/5
This book was, wow I needed to take a step back after reading it. At first I was excited to read it but as the book went on I got bored but in the final 1/4 of the book it got GOOD. It was definitely unexpected and it got me all excited but sadly it wasn’t enough to really get me to give this book five stars.
This book was, wow I needed to take a step back after reading it. At first I was excited to read it but as the book went on I got bored but in the final 1/4 of the book it got GOOD. It was definitely unexpected and it got me all excited but sadly it wasn’t enough to really get me to give this book five stars.
erkane's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- 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? No
3.0
ssinforshort's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.75
This wasn't bad, but I also felt like a lot was missing.
When challenges happened, we got a little description of what was happening before the scene changed. This would have been way more interesting if we got a full description.
In the end, I feel like there were plot holes, and it all just didn't come together they way I wanted.
When challenges happened, we got a little description of what was happening before the scene changed. This would have been way more interesting if we got a full description.
In the end, I feel like there were plot holes, and it all just didn't come together they way I wanted.
gmd316's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
It was too complex for it to really make any sense, and the stakes didn’t feel high enough. I did like the character building though
therainbowshelf's review against another edition
I choose my books somewhat at random, which makes me pick up books I might hate because there have been several times when a book I thought I'd hate turned out to be a fun book. I'm bailing on this one because I really hate popularity contest books, and so far this book has hit every checkmark for why I hate them.
labarrec's review against another edition
4.0
3.75 I still really don’t understand what happened, and I don’t think I really like riddles in books but…I was perfectly content to be along for the ride.
alongreader's review against another edition
3.0
Jewel Van Hanen created the social media app; a video sharing app where the user's face must be in view at all times, rigorously policed for bullying or trolling. It's a safe place for millions. And for just a few of those millions, Jewel changes the world, inviting them to one of her many homes for mentorship and scholarships and everything they need to make their lives great. Last year, she vanished from the public eye...but this year, she's back, and she plans to make this year's festivities the best ever. Six teens, from various backgrounds and levels of engagement with the app, arrive at her opulent mansion...and discover they are now part of a game, winner takes all. With new challenges and rules showing up all the time, can the teens figure out Jewel's game and win?
Hmm. How to review this.
The writing style is great. Breezy, fun, enough description to picture things without overwhelming the reader. The mansion is crazy; I'd never be able to think of that many rooms, let alone describe them so clearly.
Sadly, the story itself is only so so.
The story is written from three different points of view. But there's no headers to tell us who's who, and they don't follow in any consistent way; it's not #1, #2, #3, #1 and so on, it could be #2, #1, #2, #3, #3, #1 and so on. Every time the chapter changed it took me a while to figure out whose head we were in now. And for me, personally, everyone sounded the same; I traditionally have trouble telling people apart anyway, but it was especially bad in this one. I had to keep notes to remember who was who.
I also couldn't really follow what was going on at the end, so I'll ignore that.
I've read a few 'locked house' mysteries now, and I certainly enjoyed the setting and setup of this one. Jewel wasn't trying to get revenge on anyone, which is refreshing. The teens worked together where necessary and used their best skills to good effect; no one was trying to undermine anyone else at any point, and that's unusual too.
The author says that one of the characters is ace and that she says it once on 'screen'. I don't remember that, and I usually notice ace rep as it's so rare. Also, the character explicitly gains a boyfriend during the novel. I know that ace people can and do have boyfriends/girlfriends, but I feel the rep could have been a little clearer. That is just my personal opinion on it, I'm very interested to hear yours.
Overall I enjoyed this, but it did confuse me and I feel the characters could have been better defined.
Hmm. How to review this.
The writing style is great. Breezy, fun, enough description to picture things without overwhelming the reader. The mansion is crazy; I'd never be able to think of that many rooms, let alone describe them so clearly.
Sadly, the story itself is only so so.
The story is written from three different points of view. But there's no headers to tell us who's who, and they don't follow in any consistent way; it's not #1, #2, #3, #1 and so on, it could be #2, #1, #2, #3, #3, #1 and so on. Every time the chapter changed it took me a while to figure out whose head we were in now. And for me, personally, everyone sounded the same; I traditionally have trouble telling people apart anyway, but it was especially bad in this one. I had to keep notes to remember who was who.
I also couldn't really follow what was going on at the end, so I'll ignore that.
I've read a few 'locked house' mysteries now, and I certainly enjoyed the setting and setup of this one. Jewel wasn't trying to get revenge on anyone, which is refreshing. The teens worked together where necessary and used their best skills to good effect; no one was trying to undermine anyone else at any point, and that's unusual too.
The author says that one of the characters is ace and that she says it once on 'screen'. I don't remember that, and I usually notice ace rep as it's so rare. Also, the character explicitly gains a boyfriend during the novel. I know that ace people can and do have boyfriends/girlfriends, but I feel the rep could have been a little clearer. That is just my personal opinion on it, I'm very interested to hear yours.
Overall I enjoyed this, but it did confuse me and I feel the characters could have been better defined.
remigves's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- 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
3.0