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princegene95's review
- 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
The story invests you, wanting to know more about the dark world of the Ether and the background of its many gods.
But this story is also about a kid trying to deal with past trauma and new relationships. About someone ready to face those who have hurt them and (maybe) become a better person for it.
In the acknowledgments at the back of the book, it’s stated
As someone who has recently entered their first throuple, and is still trying to navigate how to interact with all members of the group, and this book perfectly describes those feelings.
I had really enjoyed the first book, and when opening the second to see a full list of content warnings, including things I don’t normally like to read about because it hits too close to home as someone both trans and has childhood trauma, I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to read this book. But I am so glad I did. I can see why others wouldn’t like it. If they aren’t queer, or gender diverse, or haven’t dealt with trauma like this, they probably wouldn’t like it, or at the very least, not be able to relate to it like I have. And that’s something I love being able to do, is relate to the books I read. And this book is one that I can relate to, and I plan on rereading several months down the line because this is a story and a world I would like to revisit.
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Blood, Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Pregnancy, Death, Adult/minor relationship, and Pedophilia
Minor: Deadnaming and Animal death
krisalexcole's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Gore and Violence
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Death, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Rape, Murder, Mental illness, Blood, and Body horror
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, and Animal death
lila_still_reads's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Body horror, Gore, Mental illness, Pregnancy, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Sexual assault and Pedophilia
pm_me_book_recs'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
4.0
How the story all comes together was really heartbreaking and cathartic. A truly beautiful rendition of a child's experience with deep deep trauma. There were some parts that felt a bit repetitive, but then I thought about my own experiences and thoughts during CPTSD spirals and realized it was spot on. The evolution of the characters is really sweet. I was honestly fine with the story focusing more on the main three instead of the entire cast.
I do agree with other reviewers that the existential time crises were sometimes hard to follow, or maybe out of place? I can't put my finger on it, but something about the portrayal didn't quite mesh with the story? It wasn't enough to derail or ruin anything, just kind of distracting. There were a few confusing or convenient things towards the end of the book that I went back and read twice to make sure I didn't miss anything... but somehow I'm still not understanding certain characters survival... This is a hard part to dive into without spoilers, so I'll just leave it at that. The plot holes got me pacing.
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC, appreciated as always.
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Pedophilia, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Death, Grief, Murder, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, and Violence
readingwithkaitlyn's review
Graphic: Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Genocide, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Body horror, Gore, Mental illness, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Kidnapping, Child death, Sexual content, Animal death, and Child abuse
Minor: War, Excrement, Gun violence, Animal cruelty, Cancer, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Drug use, Deadnaming, Cursing, Rape, and Colonisation
itsapaxycab's review
- 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
4.0
The plot in book 2 picks up immediately, and in general, I have no complaints about the plot. It was extremely confusing at times, and I felt tied up in a knot in my brain, but I think Gem did as well, and it helped build a convincing story.
Each of the characters is unique and challenging in their own way. Being gods that have been alive for millennia on Earth at this point, each one has witnessed their fair share of ups and downs, and that is evident in the way they interact with one another. Gem (the Magician), Enzo (the Shade), and Rory (the Mountain) as our three central characters all exhibited these ups and downs, and are all very grey in morality. It is fascinating to read a book that takes a character you love, doing things you hate, and yet you are still able to accept them, and see that reflected in the other characters.
This book took a strange but not completely anticipated twist at about 50%, which shook up both the plot and the character story. If this had not happened, I would have honestly wanted just a longer stand-alone, but this helped. It was also an improvement on one of my biggest gripes with Edgmon's first duology.
The one thing I was most conflicted about was the writing. While sometimes the writing was beautiful and well scripted, I often struggled to fully feel in the moment, because as soon as I started to appreciate the writing or prose I got knocked out of the book by some offhanded comment that sounded like it came out of a friend's mouth on a walk around campus. While I get the dichotomy of gods in teenagers' bodies, sometimes it only made things more confusing. It reminded me of people who are only able to talk about themselves when they are throwing a million jokes around, never to fully be taken seriously. This, unfortunately, happened with me and this book. I loved it and the story and the characters, and I will be purchasing both of this duology to reread once it is published, but I could not take it seriously.
Overall it is a great read. The conversations around love, trauma, growing up and grappling with not being a perfectly good person were wonderful, I just wish I could take it seriously.
Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an ARC in return for an honest review.
Graphic: Mental illness, Gore, Violence, Suicide attempt, Grief, Animal death, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, and Gun violence