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3.38 AVERAGE
3.38 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail
I was so excited to read The Four and had such high hopes for it, there were some really good parts to the plot but the book could have been about 200 pages shorter.
The book was well written but it was too drawn out, the characters were unlikeable and I feel that the book should have come with a trigger warning, considering the amount of abuse, self harm and violence.
The book was well written but it was too drawn out, the characters were unlikeable and I feel that the book should have come with a trigger warning, considering the amount of abuse, self harm and violence.
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide
First, let me get this out of the way, I read this because of all the comparisons to the The Secret History by Donna Tartt which is one of my favorite books of all time. I get it, the setting...in this case an elite private school in England...is similar to Bennington an elite private college in New England, and there is a crime at the start of the story. However, Tartt created a master class in plot, pacing, nuance, character development. No detail is extraneous, no character is a vague outline. The Four cannot compare.
Many other reviews lay out the story so I won't but I will say that this is not a book I would recommend to teenagers and certainly not tweens. There's a fair amount of sex. These kids are 16-17! There is a great deal of verbal and physical abuse. There are several triggers. I may sound like a prude but be wary.
As for the writing, well, there's a lot of coming and going. There is a campus map at the front of the book but it doesn't really help (and honestly, it doesn't really matter). There's a lot of trying to keep track of where everyone is (I eventually realized that was filler and stopped trying). There's very little physical description of anyone besides Marta so it was hard to keep everyone sorted. And, for heaven's sake, having three characters named Gregory, Gerald, and George...why!
Many other reviews lay out the story so I won't but I will say that this is not a book I would recommend to teenagers and certainly not tweens. There's a fair amount of sex. These kids are 16-17! There is a great deal of verbal and physical abuse. There are several triggers. I may sound like a prude but be wary.
As for the writing, well, there's a lot of coming and going. There is a campus map at the front of the book but it doesn't really help (and honestly, it doesn't really matter). There's a lot of trying to keep track of where everyone is (I eventually realized that was filler and stopped trying). There's very little physical description of anyone besides Marta so it was hard to keep everyone sorted. And, for heaven's sake, having three characters named Gregory, Gerald, and George...why!
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
So this was an interesting read and concept but I just have an issue with too much angsty teen whining. Some of the decision making of these teens is highly questionable also but I guys that is part of the point. I was intrigued up until the end. It seemed so rushed and abrupt. We had all this build up and then bam, that's it. I guess I was just expecting more.
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
One of the worst books I’ve ever read.