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5aru's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- 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? Yes
3.0
I have hardly ever felt this conflicted about a book. I loved it, sometimes; I hated it, sometimes — and so I’ve averaged it out to three, because I truly don’t know what to think.
I remember loving The Binding. Sure, it was very slow-paced at times, and I found it hard to keep going; but the characters had me invested, I cared about the story and where it would go, and I wasn’t disappointed. The Betrayals has been a mixed bag. I certainly wasn’t expecting the twist; I wasn’t expecting it, and I didn’t love it.The fact that Claire and Aimé were separate characters for so much of the book meant that I learned to dislike Claire for her shortcomings (though not as much as I disliked adult Léo, to be fair) and to love Aimé, or at least who I thought Aimé was, from Léo’s descriptions. I also couldn’t help but feel a little cheated, since the homosexual romance turned out to be no such thing at all. I keep thinking of that meme, name something that’s gay and homophobic at the same time… Beyond that, the fact that Christians are the oppressed collective in an intensely vague worldbuilding that shared objectionable resemblances to deeply traumatizing historical events that affected other religious communities was also very iffy to me; perhaps if we ever learned what the Party was actually doing, or what Purity Laws truly stand for — but like I said, the worldbuilding is intensely vague. Perhaps focusing on Montverre and its inner, closed-off world — since that’s clearly what Collins wanted to write about, anyway — would’ve been more successful.
The whole time I felt like the book was building up to something, only to never really take me anywhere. I guess it betrayed me, too.
I remember loving The Binding. Sure, it was very slow-paced at times, and I found it hard to keep going; but the characters had me invested, I cared about the story and where it would go, and I wasn’t disappointed. The Betrayals has been a mixed bag. I certainly wasn’t expecting the twist; I wasn’t expecting it, and I didn’t love it.
The whole time I felt like the book was building up to something, only to never really take me anywhere. I guess it betrayed me, too.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny and Suicide
Minor: Confinement, Death of parent, and Panic attacks/disorders
btrz7's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I know they say it's about the journey, not the destination, and boy was this a journey. I'm not too sure about the destination.
I guess this is my way of saying I'm still not too sure how I feel about the latter part of the book, although I absolutely loved everything until then, and I am somewhat satisfied with the ending. It's not necessarily a bad feeling
I guess this is my way of saying I'm still not too sure how I feel about the latter part of the book, although I absolutely loved everything until then, and I am somewhat satisfied with the ending. It's not necessarily a bad feeling
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Xenophobia, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Misogyny, Mental illness, and Bullying
Moderate: Child abuse and Death
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, Biphobia, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, and Police brutality
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