Reviews

I really liked the 3 main stories and the exploration of Deaf culture. I wish we'd gotten more of Eliot's and Kayla's stories. I found the ending incredibly disappointing because there are too many loose ends.

hanger's review against another edition

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challenging informative medium-paced

4.5

gabbygarcia's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative reflective medium-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? Yes

3.75

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lolajeanne's review against another edition

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hopeful informative 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

4.5

kaelynrup's review against another edition

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informative reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

I learned a lot and I enjoyed the main perspectives we got to see. The plot fell a little short at the end for me but ultimately I liked this and think it would make a cool movie.

steca2's review against another edition

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informative fast-paced

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? It's complicated

3.75

Ok so I have really mixed feelings about this book. I loved a lot of this book but the ending really tanked it for me. It probably would have been a 4.5/5 star read if the ending wasn’t so rushed and left so many loose plot points untouched. At least give us an epilogue if your not going to write it all out on the page! After reading the author’s note at the end, I now understand that the author wanted to make a statement that the future of these characters is up to the reader. While admirable, it wasn’t all that well done… instead of making me curious, it made me frustrated.
What I loved—
I loved the amount of representation in this book (not just within Deaf community but also in regards to race, sexuality, SES, and briefly religion) and it was highly educational without feeling preachy or like an infodump. I also found parts of it endearing, especially Austin’s family.
What I did not like was

Charlie’s direct involvement in the robbery as it felt forced and unrealistic, Austin’s unquestioning acceptance and participation in domestic terrorism (felt out of character for him tbh),

and the ending. There were just too many loose strings! I feel like only 1 of the 5 main plot points actually got wrapped up.

Like what happened with Feb/Mel/Wanda? What about the future of the school? Where did the students all end up? Did Charlie’s parents force her to get another implant? How did that conversation go? Did Skylar end up getting a CI?

Also, Slash/Kyle gave me the creeps (especially bc of his age) and he was supposed to be not only a love interest but this seemingly great ally? His entire group felt off but apparently there’s no issue there… I also didn’t love Austin being a love interest too. It would have made sense to either keep them as crushes and at the end share a kiss or they should have stayed platonic as their romance added very little real meat to the story.

haleyshort's review against another edition

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funny reflective medium-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? No

3.75

I ended up enjoying this more than i thought i would. I listened to it (i recognize the irony!) and really appreciated the voice acting and the use of the sound of sign as an additional element. The politics are interesting, the characters are complex, and the history was rich. I seriously preferred the kids as narrators over the adults.

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