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just_one_more_chapter_ok's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Racism, Confinement, and Grief
dev921's review
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Xenophobia, Abandonment, Confinement, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Death, and Racial slurs
laurenleigh's review
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
A nicely engaging historical fiction novel about the 1906 SF earthquake! I’m so glad Quinn reached out to Chang to cowrite this piece. Bringing in the Chinese perspective was really enriching to the story, and it’s so important to remember the immigrant labor that built so much of the West Coast. My favorite character turned out to be a real person, so that was a fun discovery! (Google Alice Eastwood, so cool.) I saw most of the “plot twists” a mile away, but that didn’t take away from my enjoyment. This definitely made me look up current earthquake response recommendations, and a few things have changed since we were doing earthquake drills under our school desks! (Now I feel old.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury and Confinement
Moderate: Forced institutionalization
adearajean's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I enjoyed parts of this book but felt like it dragged in the beginning and end. I did listen to the audiobook and did not enjoy the Suling narrator. I thought the Suling chapters were compelling and the Gemma chapters lacked. I also thought some of the relationships felt shallow or underdeveloped. I felt like the incidents in the middle created drama and intrigue that the ending didn't quite deliver on.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Drug use, Confinement, and Cultural appropriation
daralexandria's review
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Confinement, and Gun violence
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Death of parent
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