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ruthlessreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I wanted to like this book much more than I actually did. There were parts that I really enjoyed (the relationship between Lan & Shizuka, watching Katrina grow more confident, etc.) but overall I felt that the author was trying to weave too many disparate stories together. At least 2 storylines I do not feel needed to be included at all and there's at least one POV that I think could have been much more limited. It felt like some of these storylines petered out, without impacting the story in any real way. This could have been two books that tie into the same universe, rather than one book trying to smash as much into it as possible.
That said, I really enjoyed the relationships between all the characters and, as a trans & queer reader, there were so many parts that were emotionally impactful in ways that I especially appreciated. This book could be enjoyed by anyone though, especially given the right information before starting. If I'd had different expectations going in, I may have enjoyed it more!
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Transphobia, Violence, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and War
Moderate: Child death, Death, Drug use, Racism, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Pandemic/Epidemic
ctara2123'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
5.0
Graphic: Transphobia and Xenophobia
Moderate: Rape, Self harm, and Violence
Minor: War
speedofhuman'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
5.0
Graphic: Body shaming, Rape, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, and Violence
kanonkita'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
5.0
Graphic: Death, Transphobia, Violence, and Dysphoria
Moderate: Racism, Self harm, Sexual content, Murder, and War
Minor: Body shaming, Child abuse, Deadnaming, and Sexual assault
ash_ton's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Complaints first, because I'm an asshole. I'm not sure I liked the different shifting POVs. I like to think I'm not an idiot, so at first I'd be a little lost on who was talking. And there were so many. Some of them just side characters. Wack.
I did really like the book though. I don't normally go for sci-fi, and I actually read this or the LGBTQIA+ book club I'm in. At first I wasn't a huge fan of it but I'm glad I stayed with it. Definitely thought provoking and an interesting story. Shirley was my favorite character. All my homies love Shirley.
Graphic: Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Transphobia, Blood, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Dysphoria
Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Deadnaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Lesbophobia, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Cultural appropriation, War, and Deportation
osladek'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
4.0
My main criticism was the sensitive content and how it was regarded in the book. This book should've had a large content warning at the beginning of it for the themes of graphic transphobia, sexual assault, physical violence, racial, homophobic, and transphobic slurs, and much more. In addition to it lacking a warning, these issues could have been dealt with a million times better. Mainly with the character Katrina, the incessant transphobia was almost bordering on insane. As a trans person I have never experienced this amount of transphobia in day to day life. Although the abusive, transphobic family part of the book was not unrealistic, the constant transphobia from strangers just felt overboard. Granted, I am not a trans woman nor a person of color and I am positive trans women of color receive worse treatment in everyday life than I do, I doubt it is as depicted in this book. In addition the the external abuse Katrina receives, her internal monologue is difficult to get through. Reading this trans character use "queer" as a slur to herself just felt very gross, just her being trans seems to be equated to being disgusting according to Katrina. I don't want to say this is unrealistic either since internalized transphobia and homophobia are real things, however with a fictional character everything being put on paper is a decision made by the author. I believe the author should have hired sensitivity readers even though I know she herself is a trans woman of color. I think some sensitivity readers could've given her constructive criticism on this portion of the book bordering on trauma porn. Also Katrina seems to have almost no character development even in accepting herself.
Regardless of the issues with Katrina, I still thoroughly enjoyed this book. I was hooked from the beginning and had trouble putting this book down. The deal with the Devil plot was spectacular and witty. I loved the alien family owning the donut shop plot and I think these completely different themes worked well together. I wished these two plots were the main focus without including the transphobia plot, but still included Katrina. The Markus plot was a little insane to add considering his story has no definite ending and I don't think the author handles it well, it feels like an add-on that makes no sense to the overall themes of the book. Although it has a lot of flaws, I liked this book a lot and I hope the author makes more weird books that keep me hooked, granted she eases up on the intense content.
Graphic: Child abuse, Homophobia, Sexual violence, and Transphobia
Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Violence, and War
tilder's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
I think that the ending wasn’t what I wanted. I think that I was expecting either Shizuka or Katrina to evade Trenton. But not in this way, it almost felt too… easy? I think I would have preferred a conclusive death and see how it affects each character. Like Shizuka dying and Lan or Shirley becoming Katrina’s first student. It felt almost like fan service or a cop out. Either way, I really enjoyed this book and I am eager to read more
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Xenophobia, and Dysphoria
caroline_rk'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
4.75
Graphic: Rape, Transphobia, and Violence
christine_d11's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Transphobia
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Rape
mmccombs's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, and Transphobia
Moderate: Violence and Murder