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annorabrady's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Overall, I'm not sure how I feel about the story. I gave it a 3 because it was entertaining enough. But this isn't one I am going to revisit.
If you have emotional triggers, be aware and proceed with caution. This hits on a lot of things that could get people. I've done my best to list the ones I can remember.
As an aside, this book is not diverse. Beyond the romance and the ex, there's one closeted character who gets little page time and one gay character who gets an even smaller part. Then there's nothing. Everyone is white. If there aren't white characters, they're not described. In real life, Salem has close to 18% of their population identifying as latine and nearly 4% as black. Surely there could have been a friend, family member, or other recurring character who wasn't white.
It also would have made more sense narratively if he hasn't died, especially in terms of Victoria being left alone after getting her magic back.
Hannah would have saved Victoria regardless of her father's death. She was just as invested in the identity of the witch hunter before and after his death. And his death didn't add to any of her struggles or character development. He just died. And then he had a funeral. And she said she was upset about it.
Losing a parent changes you. Especially if it's a parent you have a good relationship with. It fundamentally changes so much of your life, your beliefs, and your priorities. And I saw none of that reflected in what Hannah did at the end of the book. Hannah was still the same character, she was just down a parent.
Graphic: Hate crime, Grief, Medical content, Murder, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Car accident, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Lesbophobia, Medical trauma, Outing, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Torture, and Toxic friendship
koraisreadingnow's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Death, Stalking, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Bullying, Blood, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Genocide, and Car accident
Minor: Animal death, Outing, Kidnapping, and Gun violence
katattack345's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I probably won’t continue the series but it was a nice read. I would recommend it to the youths though
Moderate: Animal death, Violence, Car accident, Animal cruelty, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Death
Minor: Sexual content and Alcohol
_toni_'s review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
The twist villain is not a twist villain. It’s obvious right off the bat who the villain is and it was frustrating that Hannah couldn’t figure it out.
HOWEVER, I am very happy that lesbians and bisexual people got some good representation in this novel. That’s the one silver lining for me.
Overall though, this book was a miss for me.
Graphic: Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Car accident
Moderate: Animal death
jadehusdanhicks'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
Unexpected villians and betrayals left me shocked and I’m so glad I own the second as ill be reading it asap.
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Homophobia, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Car accident, Cultural appropriation, Hate crime, Outing, Toxic friendship, Animal death, Blood, Confinement, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Lesbophobia, Medical trauma, Medical content, Xenophobia, Grief, Kidnapping, Alcohol, and Violence
solarel's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
But! The second half really picked up and once the pieces all fell into place the story actually took hold. The stakes increased with every mistake and Hannah’s reactions felt very real. I don’t cry for books often and twice I was tearing up.
For a YA some of the silly teen-isms are to be expected. I’m glad I pushed through to read the second half. It was fun.
Graphic: Animal death, Animal cruelty, Violence, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Torture, Car accident, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Kidnapping, and Murder
Moderate: Alcohol, Biphobia, Genocide, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Stalking, Toxic relationship, and Xenophobia
sofpopi'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
3.75
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Toxic friendship, and Murder
Moderate: Death of parent, Car accident, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Hate crime
caitlink's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.5
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Violence