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spellboundchapters'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? Yes
3.0
I really liked Sydney's character (Theo was alright too - not a fan of the romance though but I didn't mind it), and the first 2/3 of the book overall got me really engaged (although there were some parts I found were a bit too slow paced). There were some really good twists and the atmosphere was very creepy and got my heart racing quite a few times.
But I found the pacing weird : one moment it's super slow, then something creepy is going on and then it's back to being slow and sometimes it's like that scary situation never happened ? And the ending was way over the top for me and felt too easy.
This one is a personal preference but I just don't like when characters are being made unreliable with substance abuse - imo Sydney's paranoia/anxiety was already enough to make her unreliable.
And lastly, I would've liked for the epilogue to be another chapter, and have an epilogue set a few months later to see what happened to the neighbourhood. There were just too many plot holes and unanswered questions. They're all quite spoiler-y so I'm gonna hide them, except for this one : why is no one on social media?? The protagonists are in their 20s/early 30s and yet none of them uses social media to alert about the shady stuff happening and people disappearing? I don't buy it.
Graphic: Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Racism, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Murder, Alcoholism, and Emotional abuse
gm_vak's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Hate crime, Infidelity, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Stalking, Terminal illness, and Torture
sarah984'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Medical content, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Racism, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death of parent, and Physical abuse
Minor: Animal cruelty, Dementia, Genocide, Slavery, Stalking, and Vomit
sucreslibrary'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
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Death of parent, Gun violence, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Police brutality, Racism, Violence, and Sexual content
Moderate: Blood, Domestic abuse, Alcoholism, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship
amna_a's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Gun violence, Murder, Police brutality, Racism, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Alcoholism
Minor: Addiction
melaniereadsbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Sydney's neighborhood in New York is going through a rapidly increasing gentrification process: neighbors are moving away, rich white people are moving in, and the friends and businesses she has known her entire life are disappearing. But even more nefarious things are afoot with what's going on, and Sydney will have to figure out what is happening if she wants to survive.
This book had me on the edge of my seat the entire time! I was completely hooked from the get-go and found myself trying to figure out exactly what the mystery was as Sydney did.
Sydney is such an interesting character. For one, she is an unreliable narrator, which I love. So is the other main character, Theo. You never know who is telling the truth and who is conveniently leaving out details.
The events that happen are so chilling. If you have ever been in a situation where you didn't trust those around you, you will be able to feel the skin prickle on your neck as you read this. I was particularly stricken by the scene with the uber and with the inspector at Sydney's house.
This story also viscerally shows the effects of microaggressions on people.
I thought this book was spine-tingling and informative! I absolutely loved it.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Death of parent, Violence, Terminal illness, Stalking, Racism, Police brutality, Murder, Kidnapping, Gun violence, and Grief
chaosreads's review against another edition
- 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: Alcoholism, Addiction, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Gun violence, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Minor: Blood and Forced institutionalization
bexshelf's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Racism, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Blood, Dementia, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Sexual content, and Xenophobia
ehmannky's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
It's so good. The villains in this remind me so much of the Get Out villains, right down to the posturing at liberalism and progressive politics by the villains. And the twists in this book! When I tell you I gasped out loud, I am not being dramatic, I literally gasped out loud. The ending is wild, but wild in a way I liked.
Graphic: Blood, Confinement, Death, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Grief, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Police brutality, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Suicide, Domestic abuse, and Drug use
Minor: Sexism
zombiezami's review against another edition
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Grief, Gun violence, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Police brutality, Racism, and Torture
Moderate: Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Xenophobia
Minor: Vomit and Excrement
Gentrification,