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kbairbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and War
devynry'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
5.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Child death, Cultural appropriation, Death of parent, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Medical content, Murder, Police brutality, Racism, Violence, and War
rebeccaxpaige'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
I will not say anything else other than if you want to see what real women are made of, you must read this book. 5 of the easiest stars I gave this year.
Graphic: Blood, Gore, Body horror, War, Torture, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Murder, Misogyny, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Grief, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, Death, Cursing, and Colonisation
Moderate: Bullying, Child death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Emotional abuse
bedtimesandbooks'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
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Colonisation, Death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Xenophobia, War, Violence, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Self harm, Racism, Misogyny, and Sexism
booksthatburn'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
5.0
The worldbuilding is consistent with the previous book, but it's now slowing down to build as many non-human parts of the setting as THESE VIOLENT DELIGHTS was able to. Juliet sometimes still wears flapper dresses, and Roma has a Meaningful Wardrobe Change, but tensions are high and there's just less time for fun. Plenty of time for emotionally fraught pining and hatred, especially coming off of events from the last book.
I love how much Kathleen shines in this one, she has a much better sense of herself and what place she wants to hold. Alisa, too, gets more of a role and it's very nice to see. Ben and Marsh are fantastic, I'm so happy about their arc here.
This wraps up a bunch of things from THESE VIOLENT DELIGHTS. It has a couple of storylines which start here and weren't present before, but since this is part two of a duology that's somewhat limited, as it exists to complete the story. I'm not sure if any major things were both introduced and resolved here, as generally the groundwork was laid previously even if the very specific story thread is mostly contained to this volume. It feels finished, except in as much as the ending intentionally left things open, e.g. living characters are implied to have plans for what they'll do next. The main characters are the same, with a similar ratio of how many chapters each one narrates. Their voices are distinct from each other but consistent with their styles of narration from THESE VIOLENT DELIGHTS. This might make some sense if someone picked it up at random and didn't know about the series (especially if they're familiar with ROMEO AND JULIETTE. The relevant backstory is succinctly and precisely conveyed in a way that makes it pretty easy to get up to speed, but certain character motivations and present circumstances will be confusing if someone tries to begin here, in part two of two. It does hit the sweet spot for enough of a reminder for readers who waited a while after reading the first book, at least as far as I'm concerned.
Well-done with an ending I'm still thinking about, make sure to check out OUR VIOLENT ENDS.
Graphic: Blood, Gore, Violence, Gun violence, Medical content, Torture, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, and Child death
Minor: Physical abuse
lindseyhall44's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Body horror, Gun violence, Grief, and Colonisation
Moderate: Abandonment, Child death, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual content
plumpaperbacks'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
5.0
There’s not much I can say that’s spoiler-free, and honestly, I don’t have either the physical or emotional energy right now for an in-depth review. Just know that as much as I loved the first book, somehow I love this one even more. Juliette, Roma, Marshall, Benedikt, and Alisa stole my heart; Juliette and Roma in particular own my soul. I’m legit reevaluating my mental list of favorite series of all time to make room for this duology in the top five. Anything that affects me as much as this did sure as hell deserves it.
So yeah. My heart is a pulp and my brain is mush and I don’t really know what to do with my life right now. If these books weren’t already one of my main personality traits, they are now. I’ll definitely reread them at some point, but I need to prepare myself for that first. I’m eagerly (and nervously) awaiting Chloe Gong’s next book.
Representation
- Chinese protagonist and side characters
- Chinese trans girl side character
- Korean queer side character
- queer side character with OCD
Graphic: Death, Murder, Violence, Gun violence, Body horror, Blood, Gore, Racism, and Colonisation
Moderate: Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, and Police brutality
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, and Death of parent
kinsportch'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Death, War, Violence, Torture, Murder, and Gun violence
Moderate: Racism, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Child death, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual content