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thehannahclaire's review
LOVED the premise, wasn’t a fan of the execution outside of the discussion of colonialism and race. I really wanted to feel connected to the characters, but I just wasn’t.
Graphic: Body horror, Blood, and Gore
Moderate: Xenophobia, Transphobia, Violence, Gun violence, and Racism
Minor: Deadnaming, Child abuse, Colonisation, and Drug use
blyberry345's review
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Body horror, Murder, Gun violence, Blood, and Gore
ceruleanheather's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
On the other hand, I did not particularly enjoy Juliette or Roma and found the character development to be lacking. I get that it is a Romeo and Juliet retelling, and in that respect it does okay, but I just didn't care for the main characters that much. Juliette is mean, doesn't stop to think for someone who is supposedly so smart, and obviously did not learn her lesson from 4 years ago. Roma is flat, more like ornamentation. I did like the addition of Kathleen, who was probably the best character. My favorite character in the original Shakespeare play is Mercutio, but his equivalent in this book (Marshall) just did not have the same flair. I wanted the Queen Maab speech! I did like the little twist at the end, but was not at all surprised.
I am glad I borrowed this from the library instead of purchasing it.
Graphic: Body horror
bergha1998'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
3.75
Dark Romance, LGBTQIA+ Representation, Friends to Lovers to Enemies
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Gun violence, Drug abuse, Chronic illness, Body horror, Murder, Drug use, Death of parent, Blood, Torture, Alcohol, Physical abuse, Grief, and Death
snikhtha'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? Yes
1.75
This has such a promising plot, but sadly the execution does not live up. The pacing is the obvious culprit. The plot moves at a snail's pace and each chapter barely reveals one minuscule crumb of plot point. It takes forever to get the main plot going, and none of the side plots are interesting enough to make up for it.
The other problem is Roma, and by extension, the White Flowers. They're not nearly as fleshed out as the Cai's, and they get far less screen time. Roma has no real personality besides being the love interest, and Benedikt and Marshall are just... there. In comparison to Juliette's relationships with her cousins, the White Flowers boys just don't measure up. Roma's place within the White Flowers is also murky and the gang just does not seem as threatening in comparison.
Also, the twist villain. It was obvious from the first meeting. I would like to think I wouldn't have a problem with guessing twists, but reading 400 pages just to find out what I guessed all along was anti-climactic to say the least.
Looks like this series might be DNFd. I can't take another 5 months for just one book.
Graphic: Death, Gore, and Body horror
Moderate: Transphobia and Xenophobia
ohgull's review against another edition
Very edgy and Mary Sue in a cringey way. For a Romeo and Juliet re-telling, you really only get Juliet in this novel. Roma had no personality whatsoever. I swear that the side characters got more screen time than he did.
Wasn’t worth powering through for me, just not compelling enough.
Graphic: Violence, Suicide, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Body horror and Blood
reachingforstardust's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Suicide, Self harm, and Body horror
Moderate: Violence and Transphobia
shelvesofivy'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
4.25
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Blood, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Body horror, Xenophobia, Alcohol, and Medical content
Minor: Homophobia, Transphobia, and Death of parent
raven_readss's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
3.5
Juliette Cai and Roma Montagov are of rival gangs and were once lovers
Graphic: Murder, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Classism
Minor: Animal cruelty and Body horror
emilywemily6's review
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Racism, Blood, Child death, Classism, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Death, Gore, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexism, Violence, Body horror, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, and Misogyny
Moderate: Alcohol, Death of parent, and Medical content
Minor: Cursing, Sexual content, and Homophobia