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mgreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
An absolutely entertaining underworld romp aboard the bullet train. No one is good. Few people seem bad. I don’t think I’ve ever rooted so hard for hired killers 😊
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder and Torture
apalershadeofwhite's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This was such an interesting read! I thoroughly enjoyed it! The book was funny, engaging, heart-breaking; everything that makes an all-round great novel. It was written really well and was super engaging. I often found myself not realising how long a chapter was because I was so into it! I did notice, though, that the chapters were longer at the beginning compared to the end of the novel. I'm not sure whether this was intentional or not, but it was super effective either way. There was a natural tension as you read the book because you're waiting for a conclusion and want to know what will happen to the characters, but the fact that the chapters slowly became shorter as you progressed through the book sped up the narrative and created more tension in a really effective way.
(Side note: I freaking love that there was a graphic at the beginning of each chapter showing which cars of the train the characters were in.)
With the book being very plot driven, it was so cool to see how in-depth the characters were throughout. I never knew what was going to happen because the characters were so unpredictable, which made for such a fun reading experience. Nanao and the Prince, specifically, were really fun to follow as they were both insanely smart characters, and I could not predict where their minds went or what they were going to do. They were such a good juxtaposition as well, because Nanao was a lightning-quick thinker whereas the Prince considered every possible thing before doing anything. However, when it came of Lemon and Tangerine - the classic duo - it was much more plausible that Lemon liked Thomas and Friends compared to Tangerine liking literature. Tangerine's references were usually quite vague, but also his character wasn't as open or didn't talk as much as Lemon, so maybe that is why.
Another thing I liked was that lot of the characters would say similar, or even exactly the same, things! Two different people, for instance, said "it's just like riding a bike, your body knows what to do" about 'the business' and getting back into it. Things like this happened a few times and it was so interesting to see how people who are almost the antithesis to each other (and each other's jobs) think in a similar way due to their line of work.
One thing I wasn't a huge fan of, though, was the Morning Glory chapters... They threw me off because of the odd writing choices to make them completely different from the rest of the novel. Notably, the standard dialogue punctuation rules were basically obliterated. When it came to any dialogue there was nothing to distinguish it from the rest of the text - e.g. speech marks or even italics. The dialogue was written like a regular sentence with a comma at the end and a "morning glory replied", which was so weird to read! This was the only part that took me out of my reading flow.
*This last paragraph may contain spoilers, so read at your own risk*
The end was so cute! I loved that they changed his name to Ladybeetle in the final chapter because his luck changed! It was such a small but crazily effective details to include. Also, I really liked that the prize of the giveaway was a box of lemons and tangerines. His final line felt like pride for those two characters he has to leave behind, almost like they were saying 'see, told you we would be back'.
(Side note: I freaking love that there was a graphic at the beginning of each chapter showing which cars of the train the characters were in.)
With the book being very plot driven, it was so cool to see how in-depth the characters were throughout. I never knew what was going to happen because the characters were so unpredictable, which made for such a fun reading experience. Nanao and the Prince, specifically, were really fun to follow as they were both insanely smart characters, and I could not predict where their minds went or what they were going to do. They were such a good juxtaposition as well, because Nanao was a lightning-quick thinker whereas the Prince considered every possible thing before doing anything. However, when it came of Lemon and Tangerine - the classic duo - it was much more plausible that Lemon liked Thomas and Friends compared to Tangerine liking literature. Tangerine's references were usually quite vague, but also his character wasn't as open or didn't talk as much as Lemon, so maybe that is why.
Another thing I liked was that lot of the characters would say similar, or even exactly the same, things! Two different people, for instance, said "it's just like riding a bike, your body knows what to do" about 'the business' and getting back into it. Things like this happened a few times and it was so interesting to see how people who are almost the antithesis to each other (and each other's jobs) think in a similar way due to their line of work.
One thing I wasn't a huge fan of, though, was the Morning Glory chapters... They threw me off because of the odd writing choices to make them completely different from the rest of the novel. Notably, the standard dialogue punctuation rules were basically obliterated. When it came to any dialogue there was nothing to distinguish it from the rest of the text - e.g. speech marks or even italics. The dialogue was written like a regular sentence with a comma at the end and a "morning glory replied", which was so weird to read! This was the only part that took me out of my reading flow.
*This last paragraph may contain spoilers, so read at your own risk*
The end was so cute! I loved that they changed his name to Ladybeetle in the final chapter because his luck changed! It was such a small but crazily effective details to include. Also, I really liked that the prize of the giveaway was a box of lemons and tangerines. His final line felt like pride for those two characters he has to leave behind, almost like they were saying 'see, told you we would be back'.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Torture
ggcd1981's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
informative
mysterious
tense
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
4.25
Bullet Train é um bom livro para entretenimento com personagens bastante distintos e memoráveis. No princípio não sabia qual era o protagonista pois acompanha-se múltiplas perspectivas. Isso torna algumas mortes bastante inesperadas. Ao final o personagem Nanao, ou Ladybug, o assassino azarado, assume um pouco o protagonismo. Lemon e Tangerine são uma dupla de assassinos, eles se comportam como irmãos e apesar de ter diferentes personalidades (Lemon é imprevisível, inconsequente e tem fixação na animação Thomas & Friends. Tangerine é sério, analítico e leitor avido de ficção) os dois tem grande confiança um no outro. Esses dois personagens formavam uma dupla divertida de acompanhar. Nanao, Lemon e Tangerine tinham missões conflitantes de levar a mesma maleta de dinheiro até seu empregador. Há também Yuichi Kimura e seus pais. Kimura é um alcoólatra em recuperação que entra no trem com o objetivo de se vingar do Prince, quem é responsável por seu filho estar em coma. Os pais de Kimura também vão assumir importância na reta final do livro. Satoshi Oji, ou The Prince, é quem interpreto ser o único real vilão da obra, apesar de o chefe da máfia no Japão Yoshio Minegishi, contratante de Lemon e Tangerine, ser mencionado várias vezes. Devo dizer que o autor, Kōtarō Isaka, conseguiu criar um personagem realmente odioso pois, o Prince, apesar de ser um adolescente, é manipulador, inteligente, sortudo e absolutamente cruel. Ele não tem real interesse na maleta, mas tudo que ele faz, inclusive assassinatos, ele comete por curiosidade e diversão. Ele é Joffrey de Game of Thrones se este fosse inteligente e manipulador. Eu o odiei tanto que o melhor capítulo para mim foi quando ele finalmente se deu mal, e minha maior frustração com o livro foi que, apesar de ficar implícito que ele teve uma morte lenta, isso acontece fora da página e nunca é realmente confirmado. Eu queria ler a morte do FDP. A atmosfera do livro é bastante única pois é como se qualquer coisa aleatória pudesse acontecer a qualquer momento. O clima é excêntrico, por falta de um adjetivo mais adequado. Os personagens são excêntricos o que reflete na atmosfera. A escrita também é estranha, ou talvez seja simplesmente a tradução para o inglês que perdeu as nuances do japonês. O fato é que a escrita é prolixa e muitas vezes ocorreram diálogos aleatórios que não tinham real influência nas situações. Por exemplo, no meio de uma conversa alguém contava uma anedota só porque algo no dialogo lembrou ao personagem uma história. Ou em uma conversa alguém usava um exemplo ou comparação não usual e inesperada. Mas apesar de alongar os diálogos desnecessariamente esse elemento conferiu certa “personalidade” a obra que tem clima de um filme de Quentin Tarantino. O enredo do livro não é claro pois, seguimos o ponto de vista de diversos personagens e cada um deles tem seus próprios objetivos. De certa forma a maleta é um ponto de intercessão entre os personagens. Mesmo assim a obra está mais focada em como cada personagem lida com as situações inesperadas e as respectivas idiossincrasias de cada um deles. Pode-se descrever o enredo geral como diversos assassinos embarcam no mesmo trem-bala, cada um com seus próprios objetivos, alguns desses envolvendo uma maleta de dinheiro, o resgate do filho sequestrado (e morto no trem) de Minegishi. O livro manteve meu interesse até o final. Muitas mortes e situações inesperadas mantiveram a obra bastante intrigante. Como havia mencionado Bullet Train tem um clima excêntrico e lógica própria. Muitas coisas que não fariam sentido normalmente são elementos e situações convincentes no mundo daqueles personagens. Eu gostei do livro e me surpreendi por quanto me importei com a morte de Lemon e Tangerine. Ambas mortes causadas pela “sorte” do Prince. A morte de Lemon foi especialmente frustrante pois ele era o único personagem que o Prince não conseguia prever ou manipular, pois Lemon tinha uma mente livre e não convencional. Ler a morte dele ser causada apenas pela incomum “sorte” do Prince foi bastante enfurecedor. Tenho que admitir que o Prince foi um ótimo personagem pois ele se tornou um dos vilões que mais odiei na vida. Ao final descobre-se que os pais de Kimura eram uma perigosa dupla de assassinos no passado e após receberem uma ligação do Prince se gabando, pois, seu filho Yuichi Kimura estava morto (na verdade depois é revelado que Kimura sobrevive ao ferimento de bala causado por Lemon) o casal embarca no trem e confrontam o adolescente psicopata. O livro dá a entender que o Senhor Kimura atirou no Prince e o carregou para fora do trem para ser torturado e morto vagarosamente como vingança pelo que ele fez ao filho e neto do casal. Como já mencionei gostaria muito de ter lido a morte do cruel, dissimulado, irritantemente sortudo e manipulador Prince, mas tive de me conformar com a morte pelo menos ter ficado implícita. A obra é interessante pois a narrativa era bem imprevisível. O final satisfez o suficiente (apesar de algumas perguntas não terem sido respondidas) para merecer 4.25 estrelas. Contudo, não me decidi se lerei outros livros na série pois minha interpretação é que os outros volumes seguem outros personagens. Nesse caso o enredo teria que ter apelo para mim novamente.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Torture, Gaslighting, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Death, Gun violence, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Grief, Murder, Violence, and Bullying
Moderate: Child abuse, Animal cruelty, Abandonment, Kidnapping, Blood, and Stalking
Minor: Misogyny and Pedophilia
anna_blahh's review
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
I have not seen the movie yet but I do think this story is probably more enjoyable on screen since the scenery is a little hard to get. Nevertheless, it is a really interesting concept, since the story is told from different people's views, but they all share a location (the bullet train). It is however quite brutal. I found some of the characters, from whose perspective the story is told, extremely annoying. This is probably why I rated the book so low.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Gun violence, Torture, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Gore, Toxic friendship, Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, and Death
viridis's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Violence, Murder, and Gun violence
breazy777's review
adventurous
funny
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Death
Moderate: Torture and Mental illness
____emily____'s review against another edition
dark
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Death, Murder, Gun violence, and Violence
Moderate: Alcoholism, Confinement, Animal cruelty, Body horror, and Bullying
vivmorris's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
fellas is it gay to be reincarnated as a box of fruit
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Emotional abuse, Violence, Torture, Gun violence, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Car accident, Murder, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Blood, Body horror, Death, Addiction, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Gun violence
annaledbetter's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Gun violence
Moderate: Alcoholism, Torture, Death, Emotional abuse, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Fatphobia and Transphobia
sarah984's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was a super fun popcorn movie of a thriller about several assassins and other shady types all trying to complete their missions on one crazy train ride. The characters are all larger than life and feel bold and unique. The tension never lets up and every tiny detail that ever comes up is tied up perfectly by the end.
I would have given this 5 stars but there's a minor side character who, while I enjoyed her, was constantly assailed by transmisogynist jokes and that bugged me. I'm hoping that gets fixed in the upcoming film version.
I would have given this 5 stars but there's a minor side character who, while I enjoyed her, was constantly assailed by transmisogynist jokes and that bugged me. I'm hoping that gets fixed in the upcoming film version.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Kidnapping, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Blood, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Transphobia
Minor: Bullying, Car accident, Child death, Child abuse, Confinement, Death of parent, Drug use, Gore, Grief, Pedophilia, Stalking, and Torture