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lillianreads'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
4.5
Graphic: Violence, Torture, Vomit, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual violence, and Rape
Moderate: Trafficking, Murder, and Suicide
judithsbookishlife'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Gaslighting, Eating disorder, Suicide attempt, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Murder, Rape, Torture, and Vomit
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: Sexual assault, Torture, Toxic friendship, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, and Violence
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Child abuse, Murder, Suicide, Cursing, Death, and Suicide attempt
77marlenek87'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
4.75
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Bullying, Blood, Vomit, Abandonment, and Gun violence
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
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: Torture, Physical abuse, Grief, Adult/minor relationship, Vomit, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Suicide, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Child abuse, Child death, Blood, and Abandonment
Moderate: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Rape, and Trafficking
Minor: Homophobia
archivedgreisi'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, and Vomit
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: Sexual assault, Bullying, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Vomit, Sexual violence, Child abuse, and Confinement
Moderate: Eating disorder and Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Murder and Pedophilia
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: Child abuse, Self harm, Cursing, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Torture
Moderate: Trafficking, Medical content, Suicide, Child death, and Vomit
Minor: Suicide attempt, Outing, and Murder
bookswithian's review
5.0
Graphic: Sexual violence, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic friendship, Emotional abuse, Torture, Abandonment, Bullying, Eating disorder, Suicide attempt, Violence, Sexual assault, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, Rape, Self harm, and Vomit
02larasofia02'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: Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Vomit, Suicide, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Sexual assault, Mental illness, and Eating disorder