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btothebooks's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I struggled with this one - none of the characters come across as great except for Ch'ayna (which is probably the point, but also, ehhhhh also not great?). It took a while for me to get into the plot of it and then it felt like a just very hyped up scenarios that kept getting wilder and wilder. I do love a messy family drama and this has plenty.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship and Classism
Moderate: Infidelity, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, and Addiction
Minor: Self harm, Infertility, and Medical content
amberobryant's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Favorite quote: “Insidious, these false versions of superiority and ease we project onto other families: how often they blind us to the surer comforts of our own.”
Gripping story and interesting themes, but didn’t have a single character I wanted to cheer for, minus Atik and his family (but they weren’t as big a focus as the other four families). Interesting thought processes on true friendship, competition, and the imbalance of values in the face of winning. Good ending, but am not walking away wishing I had more time with any of these characters, so it didn’t quite make it to a 4-star read for me.
Gripping story and interesting themes, but didn’t have a single character I wanted to cheer for, minus Atik and his family (but they weren’t as big a focus as the other four families). Interesting thought processes on true friendship, competition, and the imbalance of values in the face of winning. Good ending, but am not walking away wishing I had more time with any of these characters, so it didn’t quite make it to a 4-star read for me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Xenophobia, and Medical content
Minor: Self harm and Abortion
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