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kappafrog's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Cons: The plot was really meandering. There was a lot of time spent with Li Lan wandering around aimlessly, and while it showed off the cool worldbuilding, it left her motivations often muddled. She was a very weepy character which was all right but sometimes got a bit repitive. It was sometimes frustrating as a reader how big the disconnect was between what she was thinking and how she acted - she was often very passive in her conversations compared to what she was thinking. It wasn't unrealistic, but it did make her grate on me a bit. I was also never fully sold on Er Lang as a love interest. He was quite misogynistic and while this is true of most of the male characters in the book, which is appropriate to their place and time, it didn't make him seem that appealing.
Graphic: Death, Sexual harassment, Adult/minor relationship, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Suicide, Suicide attempt, Violence, Body shaming, Murder, Pregnancy, Abortion, Addiction, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Blood, Body horror, Drug abuse, Sexism, Mental illness, Drug use, Classism, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, and Misogyny
Minor: Forced institutionalization, Animal death, Colonisation, and Fire/Fire injury
sarahb919's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Grief, Violence, Misogyny, Blood, Stalking, Drug use, Mental illness, Chronic illness, Sexism, Drug abuse, Abortion, Addiction, Classism, Death, Infidelity, Body horror, Murder, Child death, Colonisation, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Gaslighting, Self harm, Death of parent, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, and Bullying
Minor: Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Infertility, and Pregnancy
_fallinglight_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
bc this book went in such a different way from what I had thought lol But still, the afterworld's world building and the richness of the different folk beliefs, culture and heritage, and Malaysian and Chinese history throughout the story make it worthwhile to stick around. And the whole messiness with Fan and the Third Concubine and Madam Lim and Yan Hong gave it the Telenovela feels (tm) and I love that ish so much lmao. And Er Lang his character did nothing for me for the most part but I'll admit he was sexy with Li Lan and I liked that, I guess. The last 20% was fun though, it was ok, I enjoyed reading it but is not its best xoxo
Graphic: Addiction and Death
Moderate: Drug abuse, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Body shaming, Drug use, and Sexism
Minor: Vomit, Pregnancy, Abortion, and Suicide
mermaidsherbet'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? No
4.0
Graphic: Death, Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexism, and Misogyny
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Alcohol and Injury/Injury detail
incigiru's review against another edition
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Moderate: Death and Sexism