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flinx8's review against another edition
Moderate: Animal cruelty, War, Torture, Suicide, and Bullying
jackiepreston's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Murder, Blood, Death, Gun violence, Alcoholism, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Bullying, and Pedophilia
Minor: Genocide
frozenheartv's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
🌕🌕🌕🌕🌘
Are you a fan of crime, and mystery thriller books but at the same time, crave meaningful philosophies and funny moments? If so, then this book is for you.
The book gripped me from the start to the end. I felt like I was on that bullet train, watching over all of the characters in action. The characters are well-built, and their personalities are consistent from the start to the end. There were many deep moments, and every page was packed with details. There were also funny moments that made me kind of laugh out loud as well. The author sprinkled the hints smartly here and there. At the time when you read them, you might think that they were random, but they were not.
However, nothing is perfect. I have to lower my rating a bit because there were plot holes. The ending left a hole in my chest. Although most of the things were explained vaguely at the end; I felt the story was not complete. There were a lot of references to the Thomas & Friends show to the point that I was afraid I would miss many things if I didn't stop reading and started to watch the show. Of course, it was not to that extent but the reference was mentioned that many times to the point I wanted to check the show. Moreover, I know I'm a bit bad here, but come one, my favorite characters :(...
It was a well-written book. As a crime and mystery fan, I recommend this book!
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Murder, and Bullying
pata's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Bullying, Death, Gun violence, and Murder
Moderate: Blood, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Torture, and Toxic friendship
btrz7's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
3.5
Moderate: Bullying, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Car accident, Alcoholism, and Animal cruelty
lynxpardinus's review against another edition
4.25
Graphic: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Addiction, Emotional abuse, Violence, Gun violence, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Bullying, Car accident, Death, Gaslighting, Murder, Torture, and Transphobia
Moderate: Child death, Genocide, Fatphobia, Grief, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Child abuse, Death of parent, Medical content, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Pedophilia, Classism, Mass/school shootings, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, and War
daniellew03cd3's review against another edition
2.0
Graphic: Murder, Child abuse, Gun violence, and Bullying
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Transphobia
jhbandcats'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? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The book is much darker. The characters as a whole really weren’t at all likable - they were pathetic, or buffoonish, or evil. There was some humor to it but it seemed like a satire of itself, not the kind of humor that leaves you feeling good.
I think there’s no way I can write a decent review because I keep judging the book by the movie, and that’s not fair. What’s good about the book is lots of action and the train being an unusual setting. Definitely don’t see the movie first if you’re trying to decide which to experience - read the book first!
Graphic: Bullying, Gore, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Alcoholism, Death, Gun violence, Blood, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
themoodreader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Moderate: Torture, Blood, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Bullying, Death, Murder, Child death, and Violence
Minor: Child death, Confinement, Torture, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Violence, Blood, and Gun violence
oceanwriter's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
The plot itself is fairly simple — five assassins on a train and a briefcase. I really couldn't tell you much more than that. The characters all blended together for me and I could never remember who was who (and I wasn't invested enough to put a great effort into doing so).
I got more of a heist vibe from this story than a thriller. I think I would have enjoyed the book a lot more if I was better acquainted with Japanese literature. It felt slow yet hectic which was an odd combination, and the names were confusing to me as well. Definitely a situation where the problem is my personal preference rather than the book itself (although I have nothing to compare it to in this genre). If not for this being a book club read, I wouldn't have bothered to finish it.
Graphic: Murder, Violence, and Gun violence
Moderate: Alcoholism and Animal cruelty
Minor: Death of parent, Pedophilia, and Bullying