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chris_reads's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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: Sexism, Sexual content, Cannibalism, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, and Classism
Moderate: Death, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual assault, and Gaslighting
Minor: Biphobia, Body shaming, Gore, Racial slurs, Self harm, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, and Alcohol
parissummerreads's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual assault, Islamophobia, and Cannibalism
Minor: Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Blood, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Colonisation
emilywemily6's review
- 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? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Grief, Cannibalism, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Classism
Moderate: Hate crime
Minor: Drug use, Pedophilia, and Medical content
jessy4550's review
- 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? No
5.0
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Gore, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Grief, Cannibalism, Cultural appropriation, and Classism
Moderate: Vomit and Alcohol
courtney_scott1025's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Trafficking, Cannibalism, Alcohol, and Classism
crgrace's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Moderate: Death, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Islamophobia, Cannibalism, Gaslighting, and Colonisation
Minor: Bullying, Sexual content, Alcohol, and Classism
brooketreads's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I am so conflicted on my overall feelings on this book. I really like the concept, but the reason for learning a new language felt so low stakes and uninteresting. The idea of the Centre though I loved, but I needed more. We got so much more of time not spent at the Centre. There was a surprising revelation that made me scream (around 76%). The pacing felt really off though. Some things feeling slow and then others feeling rushed. All the Adam stuff felt very irrelevant, other than the fact that he told our MC Anisa about the Centre. The characters felt underdeveloped. I needed more getting to know Anisa, her job, likes, dislikes. I didn’t like that Anisa seemed and implied having feelings for Sheva (spelling? listened on audio) but then made out with Sheva’s dad. It just felt icky to me. I did like the ending. It wasn’t a traditional ending. It felt like there should have been more or there can be more in the future, but there doesn’t have to be.
This story touched on some very important topics of race, racism, privilege, consent, misogyny, and familial and gender expectations. Although I will say, I felt at times some of these topics were discussed in a way that may be seen as insensitive.
Content Warnings: withholding of information not allowing for informed consent, topic of sex, discussion of explicit sexual acts, cannibalism, and death.
Moderate: Racism, Cannibalism, and Alcohol
Minor: Body horror, Death, Misogyny, and Classism
displacedcactus's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
I'd definitely like to see what this author does when she has a few more books under her belt.
*The twist is also probably spoiled in the SG content warnings, so maybe don't check them unless you need to avoid specific triggers.
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Racism, Cannibalism, Alcohol, and Classism
Minor: Racial slurs
anntharai'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? It's complicated
5.0
It's the layering that gets me, it's not just about one thing. The esstereggs are there (including on the cover art, IMO but no idea if that's intentional or not)
Graphic: Body horror, Cannibalism, Colonisation, and Classism
Moderate: Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Islamophobia, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
typedtruths's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Cannibalism
Moderate: Cursing, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Alcohol
Minor: Body horror, Medical content, and Classism
I’m putting ‘cannibalism’ in the graphic section because it is quite shocking without prior knowledge (which is all well and good but holy hell, I shouldn’t have been listening to this on my lunch break).