Reviews - The World Cannot Give

543 reviews for:

The World Cannot Give

Tara Isabella Burton

3.57 AVERAGE

likehoneyandtrombones's review against another edition

3.75

mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

hyst4r1a's review against another edition

5.0

medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

perstephani's review against another edition

3.0

There was a lot I really loved about this book. I think she created an interesting world populated with interesting characters. I think it portrayed the drama and extremism of teenagers. But I didn't think the narrator was the right person to tell this story. She's painfully naive and single-minded and not very observant. So we don't get a full view of the other characters, just the cardboard cutouts the narrator sees. They're only illuminated by their sudden cruel actions. There is some payoff with the narrator's emotional growth in the end. But the violence of the ending feels a little hollow, too. Teenagers, man. What monsters.

elisendemeter's review against another edition

3.75

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

slimy's review against another edition

4.0

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

chlo_reads_books's review

4.75

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

soopushie's review against another edition

3.75

challenging emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

lesbrarycard's review against another edition

3.0

fast-paced

Well! This was definitely compelling. I felt that the blurb and cover did not match the tone of the story at all, and the actual writing came across as a parody of a dark academia novel. The World Cannot Give promises a fraught academic atmosphere with sapphic longing, and while pieces of those aspects were present, nothing actually hit the mark for me. The characters were a little too flat and grating to pull me into rooting for them, and the school setting felt like a prop - I wanted to see the structures of the school itself with its academics. However, I did binge the whole thing in a day, and I can't say I wasn't fascinated, so that bumps it up a few stars for me! I just wish it had committed to taking itself seriously, or being a parody of dark academia themes.