Scan barcode
vendy_kha's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Light it up, light it up, light it up!!!
Nothing's what it seems, you'll be surprised by the things that will get you to your knees. I laughed, cried, broke down, was brought back to life... Play "did you know that there's a tunnel under ocean blvd - Lana del Rey" for full effect once you reach chapter 91 (on repeat) to really set the mood. Fun times.
I absolutely enjoyed the characters in this book. Love the whole Maasiverse and this one's really a true part of it all ❤️🔥
Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail
mad_books_'s review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
ljtalbot'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
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Confinement, Suicide, Medical content, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Vomit and War
readcaffinedaydreamrepeat's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Racism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Genocide and War
hellandhogwarts's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Bullying, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Blood, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail
amy_in_the_city's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The mystery plot was really engaging and the world was interesting. I was confused by the worldbuilding and think a map of the world (instead of just the city) and a glossary of terminology would have been helpful.
I found the rudeness and hostility between Bryce and Hunt at the beginning to be immature and very annoying. Luckily the characters were developed, and I really liked them and their relationship by the end of the book. I thought it was great that they develop a friendship first and then eventually a romantic relationship. The scene where she takes care of him when he's feeling messed up after getting back from one of Micah's assignments was so sweet.
The last 200 pages or so were awesome. Just a wild ride, crazy action-packed and full of emotion.
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Physical abuse, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Confinement, Cursing, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Torture, Police brutality, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism
kera_reads's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Murder, and War
Moderate: Drug use, Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
readwithde's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I love the mix of fantasy and urban elements, especially mixing magical power with science. I liked how visceral the feelings and reactions were to the classist hierarchy in the society; it felt very real and bought the 1984 vibes that we no longer have in this social-media based society.
I felt like the end came too quickly; I would have liked to see some aftermath and some clue as to how society will move forward. It felt very ambiguous. I'm hoping more questions will be answered in book 2.
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug use, Genocide, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, and Colonisation
Minor: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Torture, and Medical content
smuttymcbookface's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
What we see at the beginning is Bryce, someone who parties too hard. She is not a likeable character here. She's dating someone just because he's rich and attractive, she sleeps with someone else after agreeing to go out with the person who's pined after her for years, and she'll take any type of drug put in front of her - even spending what little is left of her money to get some. She's irreverent and dislikeable.
Then, the plot unfolds. And we begin to see a new Bryce, one trying to rebuild a new life whilst unable to move on from the past. SJM does an amazing job of humanising Bryce, showing her difficulty and grief and trauma about moving on from the person who was her entire life.
And amongst all this development, we have a well-written mystery that she has to dig deeper and deeper into. Although I had guessed at some part, others left me shocked. I enjoyed the new people we met, the world-building and courts we were shown along the way, and the discrepancies in treatment for those of different races.
I did not find myself drawn into the love story of Bryce and Hunt; no matter how many times SJM writes that they're the same, she can't convince me the man held a slave for 200 years and the girl who has suffered two years of grief understand each other's pain in that way. Sympathise? Yes. But they are in no way the same. And since a lot of their relationship developed on this shared trauma, it was hard to believe I was watching these two properly fall in love, and not just trauma bond - particularly since their relationship was over the course of *a month*.
I also wasn't impressed by the last 100 pages. The views of people at the summit was exhausting to read; Bryce in these pages seemed like a different character compared to Bryce earlier on, all the feeds at the summit seemed ridiculous (
This was still a good read, though I'm not sure I'll continue the series.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Grief, Alcohol, War, and Classism
Moderate: Bullying, Eating disorder, and Sexual content
Minor: Gun violence, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Medical content, and Suicide attempt
lonelygh0st's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Self harm, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Murder