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nicolleschumacher'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
4.5
Moderate: Gore, Racism, and Slavery
Minor: Confinement, Sexism, and War
jehansflowers's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
my primary criticism is this: couldve been gayer
12/27/22 edit: didnt put a star rating on it before, but its getting 5 bc i still think about this book at least once a week
Graphic: Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Xenophobia, War, and Classism
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Murder, and Colonisation
mossnmochi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Racism, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, and War
third_bookworm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Mental illness and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Racism
afion's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Misogyny, Racism, War, and Classism
Moderate: Ableism, Animal death, Body horror, Slavery, Antisemitism, and Colonisation
Minor: Incest and Self harm
coolfijiwater's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Death, Racism, and Murder
Moderate: Gun violence, Violence, and War
Minor: Sexism
btrz7's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
To start with, the first two characters we are introduced to in the book, who take the spotlight and get a lot of build up in the beginning section, are minor characters. You are reading and reading and thinking "Are these Norrel and Strange? Will they be them? Are we going to get the whole story from their perspective then? Are they main characters?" and the answer to all of them is "NO". It feels like a lot of effort to put in two minor characters who will have maybe a couple of brief passages and minor influence in the big plot of the book. Then, we are introduced to one of the title characters way late in the book. After a brief introduction, said character is then ignored for some more chapters before then having page time as a main character. Again, some chapters and some effort is put into a few characters that will only be relevant for a brief moment in time, or not at all - some are somewhat built up and then completely forgotten by the end of the book, and again you think "why?" What was the point of introducing a character, giving them some flesh and then never even completing their story? You get the point.
None of the two main characters is particularly likeable, but I'm sure that's intentional, and for the tone of alternate history book that this takes, it works well enough; although I would prefer it if the interpersonal relationships between characters were a bit more believable. A certain plot point hinges on that and I don't think I was convinced.
In general, I did enjoy the plot, just felt like some trimming was needed. I do recommend the TV adaptation, as it focuses on the essential and makes the characters seem more human.
Moderate: Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, Murder, War, and Classism
gasmasquerade's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Racism
marrireadsandrambles's review against another edition
Graphic: Racism
apersonfromflorida's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Moderate: War
Minor: Racism and Sexism