Scan barcode
cianarae's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
I liked this a lot! The story was great, the characters were funny, I liked the ‘80s references. I think it could have done a little bit better with the representation of women and people of color. Also I’m not a big fan of the benevolent billionaire trope so that was another thing I didn’t love. Last complaint, a lot of the riddles and things that were supposedly so difficult that no one could figure them out for years seemed really obvious. All-in-all, the writing isn’t perfect but it’s a fun book that I enjoyed reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Murder, Death, and Violence
Minor: Body shaming, Slavery, Bullying, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Racism, and Misogyny
bebereads's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
i’m only glad i read this book so i can now know how bad it is? it’s not a crime to like this book, i even found it ironically enjoyable in a way, but if you find yourself uneasy with it just know YOU ARE NOT ALONE, THIS IS BECAUSE IT IS A BAD BOOK. it’s not only so poorly written, it is deeply problematic and unfortunately not aware of itself in any type of way, where that could have been insightful. books like these are often framed as “but it’s just lots of fun!” or “escapism” and etc. but my issue with that is don’t introduce themes into your book unless you are going to address them properly and it’s not like i would trust Ernest Cline to address anything properly (he wrote this book about as well as he could have) but regardless. i don’t even feel like going into all the problems with this story, there’s enough critical analysis about it out there as is, and also i exhausted even thinking about it more than i already have. moving on!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Death, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Homophobia, Racism, and Transphobia
Minor: Fatphobia, Misogyny, and Sexism
sp4ceprince's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, and Violence
Minor: Sexism
spell_kell's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism and Homophobia
Minor: Body shaming and Fatphobia
More...