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sicilyjoy's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Spoiler Alert: This book is a fun time for a Harley Quinn Fan.
Basically, Harley Quinn goes to her dream school: Gotham Academy and becomes an intern for Arkham. She also pledges a sorority, gets into a love triangle and has to solve a case of who is experimenting on the patients at Arkham.
What I loved about this story are the characters. All the main characters are well written and developed. Harley Quinn’s characterization makes her a person I would want to read about even if she wasn’t a DC character. Her backstory, her existential crisis, and her personality make her a loveable and related character. The love triangle between her, Winn, and Ivy was believable because the relationships were written well. If I was torn between sweet Winn and understanding Ivy, then it made all the sense that Harley was too.
I also love a moment in the book where Harley rejects patriarchy and the idea of being “not like the other girls.” Harley is truly a girl’s girl in this novel. The novel also quickly addresses biphobia and challenges the false narratives about who is really bisexual. There is a social justice theme throughout that questions policing and prison culture and the idea of who are criminals and who are heroes.
Unfortunately, this book isn’t quite a 5 star read for me. I think the gen z slang used in the book will eventually date the novel in a bad way. Also, the slang was actually AAVE and sounded weird coming from Harley Quinn. But the bigger issue is the amnesia (this is in the beginning chapter, therefore not a spoiler) trope was unnecessary. This book could have been told completely from a present day perspective and it would have been more thrilling. The memory loss angle made the story drag on. It felt like a trick to extend the word count when a shorter book would have been more enjoyable.
But I really enjoyed the characters, the plot (minus the amnesia), and the messages about social equity. Therefore, I give Ravenous four out of five stars.
Basically, Harley Quinn goes to her dream school: Gotham Academy and becomes an intern for Arkham. She also pledges a sorority, gets into a love triangle and has to solve a case of who is experimenting on the patients at Arkham.
What I loved about this story are the characters. All the main characters are well written and developed. Harley Quinn’s characterization makes her a person I would want to read about even if she wasn’t a DC character. Her backstory, her existential crisis, and her personality make her a loveable and related character. The love triangle between her, Winn, and Ivy was believable because the relationships were written well. If I was torn between sweet Winn and understanding Ivy, then it made all the sense that Harley was too.
I also love a moment in the book where Harley rejects patriarchy and the idea of being “not like the other girls.” Harley is truly a girl’s girl in this novel. The novel also quickly addresses biphobia and challenges the false narratives about who is really bisexual. There is a social justice theme throughout that questions policing and prison culture and the idea of who are criminals and who are heroes.
Unfortunately, this book isn’t quite a 5 star read for me. I think the gen z slang used in the book will eventually date the novel in a bad way. Also, the slang was actually AAVE and sounded weird coming from Harley Quinn. But the bigger issue is the amnesia (this is in the beginning chapter, therefore not a spoiler) trope was unnecessary. This book could have been told completely from a present day perspective and it would have been more thrilling. The memory loss angle made the story drag on. It felt like a trick to extend the word count when a shorter book would have been more enjoyable.
But I really enjoyed the characters, the plot (minus the amnesia), and the messages about social equity. Therefore, I give Ravenous four out of five stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical trauma
Moderate: Violence and Misogyny
Minor: Biphobia
medical abuseimstephtacular's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Violence, Torture, Sexism, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Gaslighting, Classism, Trafficking, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Misogyny, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Confinement, Blood, and Abandonment
Minor: Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Police brutality, Kidnapping, Infidelity, Biphobia, Body horror, Bullying, and Sexual harassment
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