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a_novi's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
For the first time in my life I was actually glad I watched the movie before I read the book. The move adaptation absolutely changed EVERYTHING about the challenges and so many huge details of the story. If I had read this book before the movie came out I would have been FURIOUS in the theater. This book is awesome. The futuristic dystopian concept is fascinating and scarily metaphorical for reality at times. There’s mysteries, puzzles, romance, suspense, and emotion. This is a book that I would read over again to catch even more detail the second time around. Good movie. Even better book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Classism, Homophobia, Drug abuse, Addiction, Bullying, Cancer, Drug use, Grief, Murder, Stalking, and Violence
theaceofpages's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Honestly, this book was okay. It was a quick read and although the experience wasn't a bad one, I felt very meh about it. The world was the strongest point by far. With the way the world is crumbling around us it makes a lot of sense that people want to escape into into a virtual one and surround themselves with nostalgia. The concept of the OASIS is a cool one as well. The plot was okay although it didn't always make sense so much happened because Wade is the main character and main characters are special even when they shouldn't succeed - it was interesting enough. But I didn't like the characters. Wade was annoying and uninteresting and everyone else existed to serve him. Art3mis was so much better (major spoiler: And deserved to win so much more ) but ended up being reduced to being an object of Wade's affection. And as a somewhat related note?: I really don't like how that gotcha moment about Aech was handled. Very much felt like tokenism since it was revealed and then immediately pushed aside so Wade could keep doing his thing - if you want to do something like this you should ay least deal with it properly
While the reading experience was pleasant enough I didn't actually like this book. I would love to see something more nuanced done with this idea, but I do get why others love it so much.
While the reading experience was pleasant enough I didn't actually like this book. I would love to see something more nuanced done with this idea, but I do get why others love it so much.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, Classism, and Murder
Moderate: Cursing and Gun violence
Minor: Homophobia and Death of parent
lpdx's review against another edition
Too much immature, obnoxious teen boy character dialogue
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Confinement, Bullying, Death of parent, and Classism
swimfast724's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This is possibly the best book ever written in the universe forever. I can't stress this enough. It's brilliant, it's funny, it's relatable, it's scientifically accurate, it's serious, it's innovative, it's quirky, it's enticing, and you get completely submerged in the world created by this amazing author. Best best best book ever, maybe even better than Harry Potter and for myself that's saying something.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Bullying, Kidnapping, and Police brutality
Minor: Abandonment, Confinement, and Toxic friendship
hazeleyeddreamer's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Trafficking, Classism, Slavery, Police brutality, and Death
Moderate: Murder, Child abuse, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Fatphobia and Confinement
I put mass shooting and fire and injury but it's actually a bombing.lenorayoder's review against another edition
adventurous
3.0
I might have rated this 4 stars because I do think the world is cool, but the teen boy of it all gets to be a bit much, especially by the end of the book. At first I thought the main character was just an accurate portrayal of teen boyness, warts and all, but it becomes obvious as the book goes on that Wade can do no wrong (and actually those aren’t warts at all!) once he’s learned the Moral of the Story. Cline also really hits you over the head with said moral. And let’s not forget the clumsy exposition that continues throughout the novel. I can tolerate that at the beginning of a book, but the entire thing?? Also “rubenesque”. More than once. Kill me.
Kind of a bummer, because I think this book had a lot of potential. I still liked it though, and I’ll probably check out the sequel. I can definitely see why this was adapted into a movie and I’ll be checking that out too.
Kind of a bummer, because I think this book had a lot of potential. I still liked it though, and I’ll probably check out the sequel. I can definitely see why this was adapted into a movie and I’ll be checking that out too.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Murder, and Classism
Minor: Sexual content, Fatphobia, Lesbophobia, Bullying, Child abuse, Death of parent, Drug abuse, and Panic attacks/disorders
drnaynay's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Pandemic/Epidemic, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Classism, and Murder
oliverreeds's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.25
Good book; the portrayals of Shoto and Daito are a little racist; the main character is a pick-me boy and while he does experience some growth, most of it is because of a woman (sexist) and that whole subplot is honestly ridiculous. Like it suits the character but christ it’s a little excessive and he never faces any repercussions for his obsessive nature. We also never see a developing care for the outside world which realllly makes the love interest feel like a moral hospital for a promising young man. The world building is exceptional and the characters are all believable. I think the theme of race really gets trampled on//doesn’t get enough attention in the novel. It felt like an after thought, like the character was made to develop Wade into his final form. He’s the hero but he also sucks a lot. Also, there’s a paradoxical idolization of the creators or OASIS (rich) who honestly do and did so little to help the real world despite their vast sums of money (the reason why some characters want to win the game in the first place — to save the world). idk. the whole thing felt half-baked in terms of ideology but very strong in terms of character personas but weak in terms of character development
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Grief, War, Classism, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Murder, Body shaming, Cursing, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Vomit, Racism, Confinement, Death, Homophobia, and Bullying
eyedoc's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Abandonment, Bullying, Cursing, Murder, Classism, and Death of parent
iseefirede's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.75
Little slow in the beginning but got very interesting once you get past the "setting of the scene" so to speak
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Classism, and Death of parent