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lani__'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Murder, Alcohol, Drug use, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Racism, Homophobia, and Classism
Minor: Sexual violence and Racial slurs
sparrow_1's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Xenophobia, Suicide, Blood, Racial slurs, Racism, Religious bigotry, Animal cruelty, Antisemitism, Drug use, Violence, Death, Homophobia, Alcoholism, Gun violence, and Murder
Minor: Incest and Toxic relationship
rach_bella's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Beauty is terror
1) an appreciation for atmospheric prose with a love for literature itself
2) morally grey/ambiguous characters
3) a touch of madness
Check content warnings before reading
(Judy was my favourite character and deserved more scenes)
Moderate: Murder, Incest, Drug use, Homophobia, Violence, Suicide, Racism, Sexism, Death, Racial slurs, and Mental illness
esther_d's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Suicide, Death, Drug use, Incest, and Murder
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Racial slurs, Islamophobia, Antisemitism, and Homophobia
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide attempt, Rape, and Xenophobia
haileyeh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Graphic: Suicide, Alcoholism, Murder, Alcohol, Suicide attempt, Drug abuse, Drug use, Toxic friendship, and Death
Moderate: Medical content, Homophobia, Racism, and Racial slurs
Minor: Toxic relationship, Incest, Death of parent, Vomit, Eating disorder, Animal death, Violence, Animal cruelty, and Classism
hazyskyys's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
i think it’s interesting how everyone seems surprised every time someone does something immoral, especially when richard was shocked that henry was throwing him under the bus during the entire investigation and keeping secrets from him. richard perceived a version of henry that was far from his deceitful and cunning manner, and it caused him to think henry was a better person than he was.
i also liked how the group rationalized the bad decisions they were making, and excusing their murders as if they were almost no big deal. we did occasionally see richard get upset and realize the gravity of what they had done, but nobody else seemed upset about it on the surface. they seem more upset about the stress of the aftermath than the fact that they killed their peer (and a rando), and i think this said a lot about class distinction and morals in general.
all of this being said, i do think overall, the book was a bit of a drag. i find it a bit foolish to put the major plot point of the murder smack in the middle of the story, because after that it pretty much fell off and turned into a mish mosh of basically irrelevant side stories (wow henry needs pain meds oh no.. oh my god they are drinking again)
i think because of this, many of the characters ended up losing development they could have had. henry and bunny were the most complex and well developed characters in the whole book, and the rest served as stereotypes in my opinion. francis was just gay, camilla was a love interest (for like everyone), and charles was a drunk. i feel that this could be because of the way richard perceived them, returning to my original point, but their dialogue didn’t do much for me either, so i feel inclined to say it’s not that.
also there were a lot of unnecessary plot points?? like the n word scene and the twin incest plotline… and when richard had that thought… very confusing..
i’m a sucker for dark academia, so i did enjoy this book and the world it set up, but i think it was a bit of a flop. i would recommend though if you’re willing to read 500+ pages.
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Drug abuse, Incest, Murder, Racial slurs, and Violence
Moderate: Suicide attempt and Gun violence
Minor: Rape and Antisemitism
remecide's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Incest, Sexism, Racial slurs, Misogyny, and Homophobia
it's a lot about bad people doing bad things. you are not supposed to love the characters. it's messy but it's fun to read, however it is 100% a hit or missedwardian_girl_next_door's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Blood, Death, Suicide, Antisemitism, Drug abuse, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Toxic friendship, Murder, Gun violence, Drug use, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Classism, Cursing, Grief, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Incest, Racism, and Racial slurs
dianam1206's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Suicide, Racial slurs, Animal cruelty, and Homophobia
selfdeprikate's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Suicidal thoughts, Racism, Sexism, Gaslighting, Medical trauma, Violence, Incest, Infidelity, Self harm, Racial slurs, Alcoholism, Misogyny, Cursing, Death, Eating disorder, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic friendship, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Suicide, Blood, Classism, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Drug use, Medical content, Mental illness, Car accident, and Suicide attempt