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celinbean's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was a deeply traumatizing time for jean but i was having the time of my life ngl i think the funniest part in this book is that jean was just like “yeah the torture i had to endure for years was bad but you know what is worse? being bisexual” and hes so real for that obviously the trauma goes a lot deeper but this stood out lol
The scenes we got from the last book in jeans and jeremy’s pov had me grinning like a maniac while reading ngl it was so fun (not for jean but i digress)
also neil in jeans pov?? absolutely feral. he was in this book for like max 5-6 pages and still solved about 3-4 of jeans problems and delivered him a found family on a silver platter truly a man of action i love him so much
as with the previous books look at the trigger warnings this may be called sunshine court but we get to hear about all of the torture and rape jean had to go through with the ravens and nora truly did not hold back. We even got 2 jean lines that hit equally hard as andrews “i was seven of course i believed him” and his answer to the “who said please so much” so you know, prepare.
also jean having an equivalent to neils “im fine” with his “injuries happen during scrimmages” with equal reactions from everyone around him was truly *chefs kiss*
also im curious about the pacing bc this felt like a very slow plot progression considering this is only supposed to be a duology. I know this is a story of healing but there’s still so much to go through especially bc we barely touched on jeremy’s problems and jean made minimal progress which is still a lot considering the amount of trauma he has but we also only have one book left?
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Vomit, Suicide attempt, and Murder
lunahale's review
- 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
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, and Blood
itsapaxycab's review
4.5
Graphic: Child death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Forced institutionalization
softwindflower's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Suicide
Minor: Child abuse and Murder
c_alexander'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? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Trafficking
Minor: Homophobia
queeniejalexander's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This book also made my love for Neil fiercer than ever, his frank swiftness when it comes to dealing with threats is just beautiful to watch.
Cannot wait for the second book because I need more from these characters.
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, and Violence
Moderate: Rape, Sexual violence, and Suicide
iam'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
3.0
It is a good story, but I have to admit it was not what I expected, or wanted, from it.
In comparison to the original trilogy, it is very slow, introspective and focussed on the past. A long time is spent on Jean's (re-)living and remembering and reacting, and maybe even starting to process his trauma and the horrific abuse he suffered at the Moriyamas' hands. It reaches only a couple month's past the end of The King's Men, and doesn't reach past Jean finding that first spark of hope and realizing he really is free of Riko.
It's that what left me feeling really unsatisfied.
Not a lot of questions left over from the original trilogy are answered. Instead, a whole new slew of questions arrise, and very few of those are answered too.
Part of that is Jeremy. He is also a POV character, but less so than Jean. We get glimpses into the personal life, his struggles and hopes, and the issues he has going on too... but his main focus in on Jean. I honestly don't think his POV adds much other than more questions about what's going on with him, just to not get much info other than vague hints, and no closure. Why even open that can of worms when there isn't even an attempt to close it? We could have found out about him from Jean's POV as well.
I guess the issue is that just Jean's POV would have been really bleak, and he wouldn't have paid so much attention to the Trojans, so maybe Jeremy's POV is a blessing in disguise. Still, that was another reason why the book felt really unsatisfying to read.
Overall, this felt much more like a beginning than an ending. I get that it's supposed to be about closure, about closing one chapter of one's life and beginning a new one. But only getting teased with so many threads of it and how it could continued.... I hate that. I want definite happy endings. I won't want all these old and new questions to be left unanswered. If there really is a sequel (can't find any definite source on that) I sure hope they will be answered.
Beyond that, reading this was also heavy. So much focus is on Jean's trauma, and he's got a lot of it. The original trilogy is already heavy on the trigger warnings, but there, due to the characters' personalities, the faster pace, and the constant presence of Exy, there isn't as much in-depth lingering and focus on the horrible abuse. For Jean, it's different. He is much more introspective, and is constantly remembering the horrific things that happened to him. And it's so much worse than what's alluded to in the original trilogy. This made it a very bleak, heavy, sad and uncomfortable read.
The overall direction of the broader picture story about the Ravens, Foxes, Trojans, and Exy as a sport is very unsettling too - Jean is not too concerned with it, so there are not many details, but seeing it from his perspective rather than Neil's makes me antsy.
The Trojans are of course a beam of light in all that darkness, but as I said, the book ends right when Jean finds that first spark of real hope. We don't get to see him heal, we don't get to see him thrive, we don't get to see him fall in love or be loved, we don't get to see him claim his own life for himself. All that good stuff that I want to read about when I read about such an abused character is just omitted. Sure, it's in the future, but... yeah, it's just not satisfying!!
It is still good. Still emotional and heart-breaking but also giving hope. I also want to specifically recommend the author's writing style - it excells at being in a character's head incresibly organically. No exposition is given where a character wouldn't give it. It can be a bit frustrating at times when it's clear the character knows something the reader doesn't, but it also feels rewarding. And it's overally just super fun to read!
Absolutely hoping there will be a sequel answering all the open questions and threads. As a first book to a new story it works amazingly. As a standalone, it's not for me.
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Eating disorder
Minor: Pedophilia and Murder
unnamedreptile41's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Suicide, Vomit, Medical content, and Trafficking
Minor: Suicide attempt, Murder, and Outing
kaydee_reads's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Did I devour it in a day? Also yes.
The main characters are so flawed and so human and so, so loveable. The found family vibes are impeccable. The weird blend of made up collegiate sports and a mafia thriller shouldn’t work but somehow does. 10/10. 5 stars. I love them. I’m horrified by at least 50% of the plot. I need Jean to have all the hugs. I don’t even know how to review this book.
Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Stalking
arydecker's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Gaslighting