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protag's review against another edition
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
1.5
shaffe71's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this more than I was expecting to. It's very bizarre and gorey and reminded me of the bit of Wilder Girls that I read. The ending was a bit lackluster.
This is about a school shooting and you don't find out until near the end. There needs to be a warning at the beginning of the book so readers know what they're getting into.
This is about a school shooting and you don't find out until near the end. There needs to be a warning at the beginning of the book so readers know what they're getting into.
danibee3's review against another edition
4.0
This book was so hard to put down, it was a very different story then I have read before. Its a very gory thriller, which we dont get enough of in YA. I spent the whole book needing to know more. I thought the characters and the school were very interesting. I will definitely be recommending this one!
jonezeemcgee's review against another edition
5.0
4.75
I figured fairly early on where this was going, which I was actually happy for. Because the reading gave me time to find the deeper meaning and symbolism Zappia weaved in throughout the alternate storline. This was a sad and difficult read, but it was so well written. This is definitely a new favorite for me.
Warning: There are several triggers you need to look at before reading this.
I figured fairly early on where this was going, which I was actually happy for. Because the reading gave me time to find the deeper meaning and symbolism Zappia weaved in throughout the alternate storline. This was a sad and difficult read, but it was so well written. This is definitely a new favorite for me.
Warning: There are several triggers you need to look at before reading this.
beautynherbooks's review against another edition
1.0
I'm...I'm gonna need to take a minute with this.
Also, please be aware of the TW before going into this book because the ending took me by surprise (not in the best of ways)
Thank you to the publisher for sending a copy my way.
Also, please be aware of the TW before going into this book because the ending took me by surprise (not in the best of ways)
Thank you to the publisher for sending a copy my way.
theawkwardbookw's review against another edition
2.0
Want to see more bookish things from me? Check out my Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCferU-BCL2dlFjWdD0rS75Q
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review*
2.5/5 Stars
Cat and her classmates are trapped in their school, with no recollection of how they got there, or why they are unable to leave. Many of the students around her are changing into creatures, including Cat, who's face has become a cat mask made of her own hardened flesh. A killer lurks the hallways searching for their next victim while Cat and her best friend Jefferey try to discover the killers true identity and find a way out.
This story alternates between the past and the present, which made the story a bit more interesting. This is a horror novel, with many gory scenes, so if that is a trigger for you, avoid reading this. The short chapters made this a quick read, and I liked trying to figure out the mystery behind why Cat and the others were stuck inside the school. I thought the ending was interesting, and I was not expecting it to end the way that it did, but it left me with mixed feelings upon completion.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review*
2.5/5 Stars
Cat and her classmates are trapped in their school, with no recollection of how they got there, or why they are unable to leave. Many of the students around her are changing into creatures, including Cat, who's face has become a cat mask made of her own hardened flesh. A killer lurks the hallways searching for their next victim while Cat and her best friend Jefferey try to discover the killers true identity and find a way out.
This story alternates between the past and the present, which made the story a bit more interesting. This is a horror novel, with many gory scenes, so if that is a trigger for you, avoid reading this. The short chapters made this a quick read, and I liked trying to figure out the mystery behind why Cat and the others were stuck inside the school. I thought the ending was interesting, and I was not expecting it to end the way that it did, but it left me with mixed feelings upon completion.
keelin's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
kylielovesbooks's review against another edition
4.0
This was probably the trippiest book I have ever read.
I had no idea what I was going to rate it. It made no sense, but I couldn't put it down.
It alternates between 2 timelines and the chapters are at most 4 pages long. The first timeline we get is Cat in the present I guess we will call it. She is wearing a cat mask made of her skin. She has no eyes. She is trapped in School along with other students, some who are changing (like her best friend Jeffrey who is turning into a cardboard person and Sissy who has tentacles) and some are not (like Jeffrey's bully brother Jake). Some students stop talking, start roaming the hallways and disappear. Then students start getting killed.
The second timeline is Cat remembering a time before she was trapped in School. A lot of her memories are about her friendship with Jeffrey and her crush on his brother Jake which turns into an intense case of bullying (lots of TWs in this book).
It was really interesting how the memories timeline kind of gave us clues to certain people and things in the timeline where Cat is trapped in School.
I don't want to say too much because a lot of things could be considered spoilers. I thought there was going to be some big reveal to make both timelines make sense, but it kind of never happened. We get an answer, but a lot was left up to interpretation and I really wanted an AH HA moment where everything made sense.
Definitely check the trigger warnings for this book if you are sensitive to them. This is definitely not a book for everyone, but honestly it is very relevant.
I had no idea what I was going to rate it. It made no sense, but I couldn't put it down.
It alternates between 2 timelines and the chapters are at most 4 pages long. The first timeline we get is Cat in the present I guess we will call it. She is wearing a cat mask made of her skin. She has no eyes. She is trapped in School along with other students, some who are changing (like her best friend Jeffrey who is turning into a cardboard person and Sissy who has tentacles) and some are not (like Jeffrey's bully brother Jake). Some students stop talking, start roaming the hallways and disappear. Then students start getting killed.
The second timeline is Cat remembering a time before she was trapped in School. A lot of her memories are about her friendship with Jeffrey and her crush on his brother Jake which turns into an intense case of bullying (lots of TWs in this book).
It was really interesting how the memories timeline kind of gave us clues to certain people and things in the timeline where Cat is trapped in School.
I don't want to say too much because a lot of things could be considered spoilers. I thought there was going to be some big reveal to make both timelines make sense, but it kind of never happened. We get an answer, but a lot was left up to interpretation and I really wanted an AH HA moment where everything made sense.
Definitely check the trigger warnings for this book if you are sensitive to them. This is definitely not a book for everyone, but honestly it is very relevant.
marinelibrareads's review against another edition
3.0
I was really scared of this book at first as a consequence of the bad reviews I saw on this book. I love Francesca Zappia’s writing and I was so excited to hear about her new book… and in the end I’m not disappointed BUT it’s not as good as her other works.
I was actually planning on giving this book a four or five stars rate… until the end. The end felt so rushed and imposed a reading of the book I didn’t want to have and I didn’t want to share. But so am I to contradict the author?
This book was deeply interesting, fast-paced and heart breaking and I would recommend it but I just wished I could delete the end.
TRIGGER WARNINGS! (from the author herself)
School bullying and violence / ed / gore, blood and death mentioned and depicted / sexual harassment
‘It hurt, knowing he was there, but I couldn’t touch him, couldn’t speak to him, as if we were on two sides of a thick glass wall’
‘I had to mark everything, even if no one ever saw. I had to draw picture after picture, and it never felt like enough. I was pretty sure when I died, I would still feel like I hadn’t been here’
‘The world wasn’t created to make sense, and I was finished trying to find some in it’
I was actually planning on giving this book a four or five stars rate… until the end. The end felt so rushed and imposed a reading of the book I didn’t want to have and I didn’t want to share. But so am I to contradict the author?
This book was deeply interesting, fast-paced and heart breaking and I would recommend it but I just wished I could delete the end.
TRIGGER WARNINGS! (from the author herself)
School bullying and violence / ed / gore, blood and death mentioned and depicted / sexual harassment
‘It hurt, knowing he was there, but I couldn’t touch him, couldn’t speak to him, as if we were on two sides of a thick glass wall’
‘I had to mark everything, even if no one ever saw. I had to draw picture after picture, and it never felt like enough. I was pretty sure when I died, I would still feel like I hadn’t been here’
‘The world wasn’t created to make sense, and I was finished trying to find some in it’