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rbuhrke's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The world building the book contained was vast in its attempt to mix the modern and ancient, magic systems with quantum science, competition, and the ramifications of those combinations. It perfectly lays out building blocks for the characters to work with, but instead of exploring these depths the book and the characters only briefly touch its surface to focus on each other. Each character is attempting to one up each other physically and cerebrally in the life and death competition. Which accomplished the books goal of creating never ending anxiety and tense around who would go and who would stay, but everyone’s incessant need to get the upper hand left me unsurprised by inevitable betrayals. For a book driven by character development it seemed to lack any meaningful change in character and emotion. Instead, the book harshly veers away from Chekhov’s gun and is unable to complete its promise and instead it hurriedly adds a new layer of what must be an intellectual attempt at intrigue to previously irrelevant players in the last 20 pages. This left the ending to feel less like a cliffhanger and more like finishing a chapter in the middle of a book afraid of itself.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Classism
Moderate: Infidelity and Sexual content
aliyachaudhry's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Kidnapping, Murder, Alcohol, Cursing, Death, Suicide, and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Classism, Drug use, Death of parent, Child death, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
leahpardon's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.75
1.75 ( and that’s generous )
It was…disappointing to say the least. The characters had so much potential, yet fell short, underdeveloped and boring. Most of them were recycled copies of “edgy” stereotypes and were somewhat 2D. The plot as an idea was great, though it wasn’t put into action the way it could’ve. It was dull, for the majority of the book. The last 25% or so when it gets interesting.
The ending was a cop out.
It was…disappointing to say the least. The characters had so much potential, yet fell short, underdeveloped and boring. Most of them were recycled copies of “edgy” stereotypes and were somewhat 2D. The plot as an idea was great, though it wasn’t put into action the way it could’ve. It was dull, for the majority of the book. The last 25% or so when it gets interesting.
The ending was a cop out.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Murder, and Mental illness
Moderate: Alcoholism and Classism
Minor: Chronic illness
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