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adrienanthony's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexism, Stalking, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Toxic friendship, Violence, Grief, Gun violence, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Blood, Rape, Alcohol, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Drug abuse, Kidnapping, Medical content, Murder, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Ableism, Addiction, Death, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Torture
My list applies for the entire series. Absolutely not for the faint of heart, take care of yourself. If literally any of this bothers you, do NOT read this or any other book in the series, I am so serious.infinite_helix's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
There’s something about seeing your ugly parts you’ve hidden being reflected so honestly in a book and being told you can still win and be a team and be a champion and leave the things you don’t want and move on and you don’t have to be soft, you can be ugly and callused and you’ll find your people who understand and know and are doing the same and they will love you and you will love them and that’s what it’s about.
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Addiction, Self harm, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Stalking, Death, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Cursing, Kidnapping, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Sexual harassment, Ableism, Torture, Toxic friendship, Violence, Bullying, Outing, Mental illness, Trafficking, Child abuse, and Murder
Literally so many horrible things propelling all of the characters and their relationships but the overarching plot is that they are all (except for Andrew) desperate to play this sport that consumes their lives and gives them purpose. To the point they’re willing to face off against gangs and their horrible pasts barreling towards them for the chance to make this team legendary. They are all deeply traumatized and have terrible coping mechanisms and take it out on each other frequently. But they are also a team, and they will not let one of their number be taken away.vpiuke's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
even if the plot themes might be controversial, something that can't be denied is how well-written the story is. the writing style is very similar to maggie stiefvater's in 'the raven cycle' books, so if you're a fan of those, i'd give this one a shot :)
i did enjoy the story itself. it is well structured and it evolves at a good pace, never too obvious but hinting at what's coming next. the characters are original and come in nicely together, as a group they're very well balanced and developed. the sport side of the story is a clever counterpoint to the other sub plots, and i personally really enjoy how it compliments all the drama that the characters inherently carry with them. it lets the story breathe while also keeping a steady pace.
this is a very violent story though. maybe not that much in this first book, but it gets heavier as the plot progresses in the next ones. there's trauma, there's physical, sexual and emotional abuse, there's guns and knives and torture and self harm. if you're ok with these and are up for a dense, emotional tale, then you found the one.
Graphic: Hate crime, Mental illness, Torture, Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Kidnapping, Murder, Toxic friendship, Violence, Medical trauma, Toxic relationship, Blood, Child abuse, Cursing, Death of parent, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Death, Emotional abuse, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Physical abuse, and Self harm
illgiveyouahint's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I really love Neil as a character. I like that despite being so careful and running on survival for so long, there's this thread of oh he wants people to care for him and wants to have somewhere to call home and wants to have friends and just wants to stop running and have a life. And it's not too pronounced since his issues are too big (especially at the start of it) to allow too much of it, but it's there.
I really enjoy Wymack and Neil's relationship. I mean Wymack is fun with all the Foxes 'cause he's just the tired older fatherly figure to them, but he's just so goddamn tired of Neil's whole thing. Like you can tell that at any given moment he just wants to scream at the kid "Let me love you and care for you and give you home and safety, you goddamn idiot!"
Also the slowburn of Andrew and Neil is also fun of course. Like you don't realise it on the first read but it's so clear on the second read how much Neil is focused on Andrew. And not just because Andrew causes him most trouble in the first part of the book, but he's already so attuned to Andrew.
The Neil and Kevin relationship is an interesting one. Kevin being so determined to make Neil into a champion but having only the Raven's way of leadership to go on, Neil on one hand wanting it so bad but on the other hand knowing it can never be.
Oh, and I'm also taking note of the Kevin & Andrew relationship that is fascinating in a different way. Kevin knows where to push Neil but he knows he can't move Andrew unless he gives him good enough incentive.
Point is there's a lot of good dynamics to look at.
With all of that being said, there's some issues I am gonna continue being uncomfortable with. The villains of the books being Japanese is just :// Nicky's 'I'm gonna flirt with any boy within vicinity" also bothers me a lot 'cause it's such a stereotype. I'm not sure about how the portrayal of Andrew's psychological problems and the effect of his medication is making me feel.
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Alcohol, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual harassment, Stalking, Toxic friendship, Vomit, and Suicide
Minor: Car accident, Homophobia, Misogyny, Murder, Outing, Rape, and Toxic relationship
natnat_7's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Death, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Alcoholism, Racism, Blood, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Suicide, Addiction, Drug use, Gaslighting, Gore, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Bullying, Stalking, Ableism, Grief, Violence, Homophobia, Acephobia/Arophobia, Medical content, Self harm, Sexism, Misogyny, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Body horror, Child abuse, Rape, Car accident, and Vomit
louisa_pennyfeather2021's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic friendship, and Violence
Moderate: Addiction, Car accident, Confinement, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Torture, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Ableism, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Homophobia, Outing, Panic attacks/disorders, and Vomit