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ashlightgrayson'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
5.0
The story switches back and forth between the past and the present. It took me a few moments to realize that events were occuring in a dual timeline, but it's not something that was too confusing or took away from the story. There were intermittent snippets of Alex and Darlington's backgrounds sprinkled in. It made it easier to understand their motivations within the story and also created a lot of sympathy for both of them. Additionally, it made me want to keep reading to find out more about them.
Furthermore, I appreciated the female to femlae relationships in the book. Dawes and Alex don't really like each other that much when they first. As the story progresses it is clear that the most unexpected people can become the best allies. We don't see Alex's roomates very often in the story. However, via events in the story, it is clear that they are becoming friends more than roomates. There were cathartic moments that they had together that involved pain, vengeance, and justice that felt satisfying to me. I also appreciated the loving mother/daughter relationship shown between Alex and her mother. There is a lot of painful history between them. Despite that, it is clear that they absolutely love and care for one another .
This books explores very dark themes including drug addiction, sexual assault, rape culture, etc. The theme exploration I enjoyed the most in the story is that of poverty and how growing up in poverty or scarcity affects how you think about things as an adult. There are a lot of moments where some of the thoughts Alex has or the way she perceives things show us that she grew up poor. That was also probably the most impressive thing about Leigh Bardugo's writing; she has an amazing way of showing you a character without having to tell you about them. It made this reading experience incredibly enjoyable for me. I'm looking forward to the sequel because this story was such a pleasure to dive into.
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Murder, Sexual assault, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Violence, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Drug use and Drug abuse
Minor: Forced institutionalization
lauramparis'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
4.0
Graphic: Death, Body horror, and Murder
Moderate: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Blood
Minor: Rape, Abandonment, Addiction, Forced institutionalization, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, Drug abuse, Excrement, and Medical content
mattiedancer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
- Lovers of dark academia, fantasy and/or magical murder mystery novels
- Those who want an adult fantasy read with a spark of romance and little to no spice
- Readers wanting an engaging world and well-established magic system
- Someone looking for a strong fantasy read with strong female relationships
- Rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment, sexual content, gore, blood, vomit, medical trauma, death, abandonment, drug use, alcohol use, excrement, injury, pedophilia,
Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Bullying, Gore, Medical content, Sexual content, Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Sexual assault, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Violence, Vomit, Murder, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Forced institutionalization
Minor: Toxic friendship, Classism, and Stalking
nenya'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
Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Drug use, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Body horror, Classism, Emotional abuse, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Gaslighting, and Misogyny
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Trafficking, Adult/minor relationship, Xenophobia, and Gun violence
fourfootedbeasts's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Sexual violence, Addiction, Alcoholism, Sexual assault, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol
Moderate: Vomit, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Adult/minor relationship, Murder, and Trafficking
Minor: Forced institutionalization
samrp01'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? It's complicated
4.5
I'm so glad I finally got around to reading this. It would have been a 5 star if I hadn't wanted to skim over some of the school history stuff, but that's just me. There were some things, like the descriptions of the assault on Alex when she was young and the description of the assault on Mercy, and also the whole Bryce-toilet-thing, among others, that made me feel sick. There was a point a little over 2/3ds into the book where it got very sad when you find out that one character seems like a lost cause. I like how the ending was left off in a way where Leigh could totally come back and write a sequel, but it would also make sense for Alex and Dawes to go off and do that on their own, 'without us'. There were times when I was confused about the story line and character plots, but the historical stuff. I don't do well with timeline jumps. But again, that's a me problem.
Minor: Gore, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, Death, Rape, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Murder, Drug use, Sexual violence, Excrement, Drug abuse, and Classism
theespressoedition's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
On the one hand, I didn't love it. Truthfully, I didn't expect to. I knew enough about it ahead of time (trigger warnings and all) that I was aware it's not my normal style of book and the content might just not be my cup of tea. However, there was a part of me that really hoped I would surprise myself and wind up adoring it - primarily because I just adore Leigh.
The book is kind of icky. And I'm not just talking about the gore or even the triggering content, but there are just moments that made me actually nauseous and I would say, "UM EW" aloud. That's not the most pleasant feeling while reading a book, I gotta be honest. And then, of course, there's the gore and the triggering content itself. I wasn't as uncomfortable with that as I anticipated, but it's definitely a huge part of the story, so there's a reason why everyone and their mom is recommending that you read the warnings ahead of time. Even Leigh herself has been ridiculously vocal about this.
On the other hand, the interview at the end of the audiobook made me appreciate the story so much more. Leigh is a phenomenal person with an incredible mind and I respect her so much and the amount of her heart and soul that she put into the creation of this story. How so much of it is based on reality, rather than purely fiction.
The characters didn't really suck me in, though I did like that they were basically all morally gray. That always makes for an interesting story. And the ending was interesting enough that I may pick up the sequel. I'm undecided.
I'll add my voice to the trillion others who have said that this is nothing like The Grishaverse. It is not YA - nor should anyone younger than 18 read it, in my opinion. Please read the trigger warnings and know that it is very dark and won't necessarily leave you feeling hopeful when you walk away from it. But it is wonderfully written and has an interesting (albeit confusing af) story.
Graphic: Excrement, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Cursing, Torture, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Death, Drug abuse, Gore, and Medical content
uranaishi'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
4.75
Graphic: Excrement, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Murder, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Gore, Racism, Adult/minor relationship, Classism, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Sexism, Alcohol, Cursing, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Grief, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Sexual content, Pedophilia, Stalking, Vomit, Medical content, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Violence, and Gaslighting
Minor: Blood, Infidelity, Police brutality, Car accident, Bullying, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Animal death, Cancer, Racial slurs, and Suicide
scarlettskyes's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Excrement, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Abandonment, Body horror, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Racism, Racial slurs, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Torture, Animal death, Adult/minor relationship, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Religious bigotry, and Misogyny
egurgens'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
I definitely recommend reading this book, but be warned there are several difficult topics. Drug use, sexual assault, graphic death, bullying, and more. However, the cast of characters is pretty diverse; not perfect, but definitely better than other books I have read. The magic is pretty realistic, as its use is modern, and takes place in the modern world. No hidden world, just a secret society of magic users, that can use it for good or bad.
So many plot twists, you end up hanging onto every word. Friends are enemies, enemies are your greatest allies. No one is who you think they are. Bardugo does POV and time changes well, as each is labelled at the beginning of the chapter. Highly recommend reading this book. Realistic fantasy, secret societies, magic, ghosts, monsters, just so many good things.
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cancer, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Terminal illness, and Vomit