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courtnoodles's review against another edition
- 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
Whoever said this was disappointing didn't read the same book.
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Gore, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, and Blood
Moderate: Alcohol, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, and Police brutality
Minor: Stalking and Body horror
a_islandcriptid'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? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Grief, Gun violence, and Blood
Moderate: Gaslighting and Murder
Minor: Addiction, Alcohol, Body horror, Eating disorder, Alcoholism, Misogyny, and Violence
nexus's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Gun violence, Kidnapping, and Violence
Moderate: Alcohol, Animal death, Death, Fire/Fire injury, and Murder
allygator'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
4.25
I think I love this so much because it feels like a much more grounded story. Not everything is happy and nice, but not everything should be. Every single character is traumatized from the first book, and that makes so much sense. They went through an insane amount of trauma.
I am, as always, frustrated by miscommunication (even though I understand exactly why it happens in this). All I want is for Simon and Baz to sit down and talk about their feelings and what's hurting them so that they can be happy together again.
Anyways, this book also succeeds in introducing a new character whom I absolutely adore. Shoutout to Shepard, I love him so much. He's so stupid and so smart -- he's a perfect contradiction. I love his curiosity and enthusiasm and how much he loves magic. He feels so real in a story full of incredibly real, incredibly painful characters and feelings.
I do think that this is paced slower than the first book, but also that the pacing is more consistent. There's not a 150 page stretch in the beginning that drags on as you wait for a character to show up.
This isn't a perfect book, by any means, but it is an excellent, surprisingly grounded sequel. It does a great job of doing exactly what it is meant to do -- tell the story of a Chosen One after his story "ended".
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Animal death, and Blood
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Vomit
manarnia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Blood, Violence, Gore, Kidnapping, Animal death, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, and Gun violence
Moderate: Alcohol and Death
Minor: Death of parent