Scan barcode
andmingmingtoo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Blood, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Drug use, Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Confinement, Murder, Violence, Death of parent, Mental illness, Cursing, Death, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Physical abuse, and Torture
Moderate: Self harm, Addiction, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Drug abuse, Vomit, Suicide, and Sexual assault
trintrin'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
Okay, let me get the things I didn't like out of the way first:
- There are a lot of unrealistic things like the yakuza, the government/judiciary system/or the lack of it?, Andrew's drugs and how they work, drugs in general tbh, the dialogue at times, that one live TV scene, all the violence, so many things about this made up sport, I could go on.
- Being info dump-y while somehow not dumping any info at all? Focussing on explaining the not-so-important parts (which I actually quite liked), but not properly explaining the things that really matter (which was annoying). I felt like a lot of names just sprang out of nowhere. Bless ebook search function for saving me multiple times.
- WHAT ARE THE RULES OF THIS GODFORSAKEN GAME? How do they play it? Why is it so violent? What is the shape and size of the ball? What is the shape and size of the goal? What is the shape and size of the racquet? How sturdy and how deep is the net, if they're meant to smack AND catch with it? How did it get so popular in such a short time? I can't visualise anything other than the court. Maybe it's the curse being non-American.
- There are quite a few clichés. Be it the personality of the characters, or their behaviour, or the plot.
- The writing did read like a fan fiction at times. I wasn't bothered by it as long as it didn't leave out necessary details and drove me crazy. Just a thing to note.
NOW THAT THAT'S OUT OF THE WAY
AHEM
THIS WAS SO FUN??
Like, I do realise that the way I fell in love at chapter 1 was most definitely due to seeing this series EVERYWHERE and growing fond of the characters before I knew anything about them. And the constant comparison to the sister fandoms that I am actively a part of — I'm talking about Tumblr's Holy Corvid Trinity, of course (Six of Crows, The Raven Cycle, and this one, if you didn't know). Plus, it's character driven + gay + dysfunctional + found family + sports + mafia. I mean, that's right up my alley.
Let's talk about the characters. NEIL JOSTEN, my love. I don't know what it is about him that captivated me from the beginning, but I absolutely adore him, he's my little pookie. Although, he's gotta have to sort his priorities out lmao (bro was more scared of Kevin potentially hating him than getting murdered by his mafia family, I gotta respect that). I hope one day my boy is able to live freely without being paranoid about every little thing.
I know, I listed a lot of gripes I had with Exy, but listen, IT'S A CO-ED SPORT!! I love the girls and I hope we get to see a lot more of them in the upcoming books. Renee Walker, I don't know anything about you, but I love you. Matt is an absolute sweetheart. So is Dan. I wish we got to see more of Allison and Seth. Coach Wymack, what a gigachad. I loved his dynamic with the kids, and loved the way he handles them. I need to see more of Betsy and Abby, as well.
Now moving on to Andrew's lot. For a good majority of the book, I didn't understand how I was supposed to believe that Neil is going to end up being friends — or, uhhh, lovers — with any of these people. Nicky, I have to admit, I didn't like him in the beginning, most definitely hated him in the middle, didn't like him in the end. Aaron is... just there, I guess? I forget he exists half of the time. Kevin reminds me of Rin Itoshi from Blue Lock, so I automatically like him. Andrew, well, sometimes I'm absolutely in love with him, sometimes I don't have an opinion on him, sometimes I flat out don't like him. This roller coaster is perfect to his character to a T, so kudos to that. I can smell the sibling angst coming up, and sibling angsts are always the death of me. Praying for my future self.
Random other things I liked: The last couple of chapters were WILD! I literally couldn't put the book down. A lot of messed up things happened. Almost all of the characters are clinically insane and need therapy. They hate each other, but if you try to hate them, they'll hate you more. All the little things Neil did out of paranoia (sitting in the back of the classroom where no one can approach from behind, or in the middle of the car where he could see both the driver and the passenger). The banter and the chemistry between the Foxes. The way the queer characters were represented. How funny a lot of the scenes were.
It doesn't matter if you like this book, or think it's trash. I think we all can agree that the Moriyamas have a special place in hell. And that chapter 7 was mega messed up.
TL;DR
This book is unhinged and definitely not for everyone. If you are willing to overlook certain aspects and just read for the fun it brings, go ahead. But, I strongly urge everyone to look up the content warnings before proceeding.
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Addiction, Alcoholism, Blood, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Toxic friendship, Sexual assault, Mental illness, Violence, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual harassment, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Cursing, Death of parent, and Torture
Minor: Rape, Ableism, Suicide, Vomit, Self harm, and Acephobia/Arophobia
I strongly urge everyone to take the content warning seriously as the book covers pretty dark topics. Additional tags include: Explicit descriptions of spiking drinks proceeded by non-consented kissing, rape jokes, overdosing, traumatic childhoods for almost all the characters.lennie_reads'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? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Did i like the characters? I honestly don't know
Could i put it down? Also No
Something about this book dug its murderous lil fingers into my brain.
Think Haikyuu meets the Yakuza.
And for the love of god check the trigger warnings before reading this book because wow.
There are a lot of slurs used in the book, a lot of terrible things (past and present) that happen, a confusing made up sport and some very damaged and toxic characters but idk, something about it just makes me want to delve deeper into the story and characters.
I'm genuinely not sure of my rating for this and there were parts that were very uncomfortable for me to read.
CW: murder, physical abuse, child abuse, death, overdose, drug use, drug abuse, spiking, rape joke, use of the r slur and the f slur, death of a parent, burning a corpse, homophobia, violence, addiction, blood, injury, toxic relationship, mental illness,
state mandated drug use (this one is absolutely bizarre).
And probably more tbh
Graphic: Drug abuse, Death of parent, Violence, Alcohol, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Toxic friendship, Addiction, Blood, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Murder
Moderate: Slavery and Sexual harassment
Minor: Biphobia, Acephobia/Arophobia, and Ableism
soso_soor2389's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Blood, Emotional abuse, Grief, Violence, Addiction, Abandonment, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Murder, Car accident, Alcoholism, Death, Death of parent, and Forced institutionalization
cait'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
4.0
Minor: Child abuse, Torture, Grief, Alcohol, Bullying, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Ableism, Addiction, Child death, Body horror, Classism, Death of parent, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Drug abuse, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Violence, and Vomit
somills's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Is it problematic? Yes. Does it make sense? No. Is it poorly-edited? Yes. AND YET. Here I am, six months and two rereads later, with a bedroom full of foxes and Andrew Minyard fan art, simping over another murderous blonde twink, practically doomsday prepping for the release of The Sunshine Court. What has my life become?
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Grief, Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Murder, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Self harm
Minor: Acephobia/Arophobia and Ableism
Please heed the content warnings. This is not an easy series, and they should be taken very seriously. If you’re impacted by any of them, please consider. *Content warnings are for the series as a whole*iam's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Sports plots aren't usually something that draws me, but the team dynamics, and the sports obsession as a background and driving motivation for the characters worked out very well.
For anyone interested in this, please check out content warnings first. The first book is already intense but starts comparatively tame. Going to include content warnings for all books in the series for this one.
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Cursing, Death, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Alcohol, Blood, Addiction, Confinement, Child abuse, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Rape, Drug abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Sexual assault, Violence, Toxic friendship, Gun violence, and Vomit
Minor: Alcoholism, Hate crime, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, and Car accident
dmcki's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Violence, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Murder, Mental illness, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Drug use, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Death of parent, Child abuse, Addiction, Alcohol, Blood, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Dysphoria, Fire/Fire injury, Rape, Misogyny, Domestic abuse, Bullying, Cursing, Drug abuse, Sexual assault, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Classism, Self harm, Vomit, Abandonment, Animal death, Car accident, Hate crime, Homophobia, Grief, Incest, Medical content, and Religious bigotry
lets_cry_about_books'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Drug use, Grief, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Addiction, Death, Alcoholism, Bullying, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Torture, Toxic friendship, and Violence
adrienanthony's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexism, Stalking, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Toxic friendship, Violence, Grief, Gun violence, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Blood, Rape, Alcohol, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Drug abuse, Kidnapping, Medical content, Murder, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Ableism, Addiction, Death, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Torture
My list applies for the entire series. Absolutely not for the faint of heart, take care of yourself. If literally any of this bothers you, do NOT read this or any other book in the series, I am so serious.