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becca_w_'s review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Police brutality, Sexual content, Infidelity, Medical content, Physical abuse, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Classism, Torture, and War
Moderate: Ableism, Colonisation, Child abuse, Child death, Gaslighting, Medical trauma, Murder, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, and Slavery
lisa_m's review against another edition
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
So little actually happened in this book it's comical. I have a really hard time actually explaining what happened in this book. There were some more explanations of how Illia came to be which was interesting but I don't know if I actually still support America and Maxon.
I mean Maxon is mostly great and I understand his decisions. America on the other hand got more and more annoying and I can't identify with her at all anymore. I'm almost hoping Kris will win.
These books are clearly a fantasy. The female reader is supposed to see themselves as America and feel the rush of being so loved by two people. That did not however work for me. I don't understand what anyone sees in America. It is constantly stated how bland and inadequate she is but still everyone absolutely loves her. Her actions are so ridiculous and over exaggerated. Maxon keeps telling her how much he cares about her and then he looks at someone else once and she immediately assumes the worst. She really doesn't trust in his words.
I will still be reading the next book in the series because as annoyed as I was it was still great entertainment. I am invested in the characters and their relationships even though I don't particularly like them.
The whole book is quite patriotic and I just wish we got to see more of the rebels. They show up every few chapters to destroy stuff and steal books and that's it. For a moment I was actually hoping they would kidnap America and she would then join them. That would have at least brought a bit of excitement into the story. I feel like a lot of plot points have been set up and very under explained. The series has the potential if an amazing finally but I'm worried the author will go in the more simple direction and just leave a lot of stuff unexplained.
I mean Maxon is mostly great and I understand his decisions. America on the other hand got more and more annoying and I can't identify with her at all anymore. I'm almost hoping Kris will win.
These books are clearly a fantasy. The female reader is supposed to see themselves as America and feel the rush of being so loved by two people. That did not however work for me. I don't understand what anyone sees in America. It is constantly stated how bland and inadequate she is but still everyone absolutely loves her. Her actions are so ridiculous and over exaggerated. Maxon keeps telling her how much he cares about her and then he looks at someone else once and she immediately assumes the worst. She really doesn't trust in his words.
I will still be reading the next book in the series because as annoyed as I was it was still great entertainment. I am invested in the characters and their relationships even though I don't particularly like them.
The whole book is quite patriotic and I just wish we got to see more of the rebels. They show up every few chapters to destroy stuff and steal books and that's it. For a moment I was actually hoping they would kidnap America and she would then join them. That would have at least brought a bit of excitement into the story. I feel like a lot of plot points have been set up and very under explained. The series has the potential if an amazing finally but I'm worried the author will go in the more simple direction and just leave a lot of stuff unexplained.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence, Medical content, Body horror, Infidelity, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Misogyny and Miscarriage
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