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wogslandwriter's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Self harm, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Sexual content
jodean's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I will say the audio book specifically is done very well. I switched to it from the paper version and was able to follow much better
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Bullying, Cancer, Emotional abuse, Vomit, and Murder
Minor: Self harm, Slavery, and War
iane_reads'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
Graphic: Body horror, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Self harm, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Mental illness, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Classism
Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Genocide, Hate crime, Miscarriage, Dementia, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic
twistykris'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
https://shorturl.at/ptz28
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cancer, Child death, Self harm, Suicide, and Grief
Minor: Vomit and War
celestriakle's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
The whole book could have used another round of editing. Stylistically, it comes off as rough and amateur. There are moments where the motions are awkward and confusing, and I cannot tell you how many times I saw the word "smilingly". The dialogue is at times stilted and awkward, with inconsistent character voice for Gideon in particular.
A consistent issue is the way the narration and dialogue are in conflict with each other. I understand that Gideon's supposed to be a somewhat unreliable narrator, but that's not really the conflict I'm talking about. Particularly in the beginning of the book, Harrow and Gideon supposedly hate each other passionately, but I never believed that for a moment. They kept saying the words, but it never matched what was on the page, even when they were in direct conflict and supposedly feeling all this hate. It felt awkward and out of sync. There were also a lot of moments when characters or the narration would call Gideon incredibly stupid when she's constantly offering intelligent, insightful ideas or observations. It'd be one thing if someone acknowledged Gideon's intelligence, among this very large cast, but that never happens.
I also can't write this without mentioning the INCREDIBLE levels of fatphobia in this book. In this book of nearly 20 characters, there's only one minor character who's fat, and he's one of the worst, most offensive fat caricatures I've seen in a long time. If he played any larger of a role, I would have had to quit the book. Muir can't go two seconds without mentioning his "softness" or fatness and directly connecting it to his cowardice, laziness, and hatred of hard work. At one point, he's directly compared to a donut.
ALL THAT SAID.
I did enjoy the book overall. Taken as more of a YA style adventure narrative, it's a lot of fun! It's a murder mystery. The magic's neat; the characters aren't that deep but they are distinctive and memorable and fun; the mystery is fun and intriguing with multiple angles and questions to sink your teeth into. It's an easy read. Once I readjusted my expectations, it was a lot of fun.
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Fatphobia, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Murder
Minor: Child death
bezarue'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: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Self harm, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
grrrbinsky'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
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Murder
tbd24'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: Body horror, Cancer, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Self harm, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Confinement, Slavery, Torture, Religious bigotry, and War
fishbones's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Gore, Self harm, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Vomit
widgetknits's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cancer
Minor: Child death, Self harm, and War