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emmagreenwood's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Sexual content, Genocide, Infertility, Abandonment, Ableism, Physical abuse, Toxic friendship, Murder, Slavery, Child abuse, Confinement, Gaslighting, Grief, Trafficking, and Death
eva_vva's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Infertility, Toxic friendship, Forced institutionalization, Terminal illness, Confinement, Death, Medical trauma, Sexual content, and Medical content
Moderate: Gaslighting, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, and Bullying
Minor: Cursing, Pregnancy, Blood, Cancer, Injury/Injury detail, and Infidelity
litliz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Confinement, Medical content, Body horror, Toxic friendship, Bullying, Infertility, Death, and Gaslighting
Minor: Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Sexual content, Cancer, Grief, Vomit, and Drug abuse
kaitoro_walker13'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? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Infertility, and Death
issyd23's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Body horror, Bullying, Cancer, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Infertility, Medical content, Torture, Death, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Ableism, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Chronic illness, Confinement, and Terminal illness
samchase112's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Death, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Medical content and Sexual content
Minor: Cancer and War
phantomgecko's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This book really takes a very sci-fi idea and delivers an entirely un-sci-fi book. It's a novel about humans and relationships and emotions and only marginally breaches the ethics of things.
The dynamics and feelings captured between Cathy and Ruth resonated a lot with my personal experiences in adolescence. Cathy was a lot more kindhearted than I would be though. I couldn't stand Ruth as a character. Wanting so badly to be liked and important, lying about dumb things, purposely manipulating those around her. I know those people and dislike them, so it was kinda hard to see Cathy giving in over and over.
Perhaps the lack of emotional response stems from the closure offered. Yes, for real, the doomed lives of these children was sad. It's a depressing setting. But by the end of things, things had basically gone as well as they could have. There wasn't a heavy "if only" looming over them. So kinda a happy ending, tbh.
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Sexual content
Minor: Medical content
lilifane's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I usually like literary fiction with speculative elements, but I was really bored here. I liked the school setting at the beginning, and I was intrigued by the premise (never surprised, though. I think this was all obvious and predictable) and some details and questions. But I really didn't like the characters, their toxic friendships and relationships, their boring everyday problems when there was such a huge thing looming over everything. The writing style was fitting but didn't contribute much to my enjoyment of the book, same as the bleak and depressing atmosphere.
I'm really glad I read it, though, and I'm still interested in the author's other works.
Graphic: Slavery, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Bullying, Confinement, Medical content, Death, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Infertility and Grief
eve_o's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Medical trauma, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Body horror, Medical content, Child abuse, Death, and Forced institutionalization
jodieworton's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book was recommended by a good friend and have had it on my TBR for a few months. This is an adult dystopian sci-fi novel.
How this book starts is an interesting one, the narrator speaks as if the reader knows who they are and about the world they live in. You are expected to catch up. Through the first half of the book I was guessing for the plot and what was happening in their lives and how was it different to our world.
When its revealed, there is no big ta-da moment, it’s just this is the world we live in and this is normal. I don’t want to ruin the plot for those of you who will read this book, which is why I am skirting round the point.
The book was an easy read and written beautifully, I enjoyed how the story unfolded and at times really felt for one of the main characters. This book is complex and emotional and does raise a few questions, there was some elements that I would have liked answered in the ending, but I don’t think we are meant to know and I’m ok with that.
Graphic: Infertility, Homophobia, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Bullying, and Death