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filipa_maia'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
But then it gets really good. I became very attached to these characters and their stories and just wanted to see them safe. The book is enticing and entertaining and I can't wait to read the next one.
Graphic: Child abuse, Abandonment, Police brutality, Child death, Confinement, Grief, Vomit, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Car accident, Kidnapping, Blood, Murder, Physical abuse, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Gun violence, and Violence
Moderate: Medical trauma and Medical content
Minor: Bullying and Sexual harassment
rafacolog's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Child death, Child abuse, Gun violence, and Violence
shaykay's review against another edition
4.0
Moderate: Chronic illness, Abandonment, and Child abuse
Minor: Sexual assault, Child death, Medical content, Gun violence, and Violence
yasidiaz'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
5.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Medical trauma, and Child abuse
Moderate: Sexual assault
jachnax'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
5.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Blood, Gaslighting, Grief, Child death, Forced institutionalization, and War
Minor: Car accident
bones_jackson'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Grief, Gun violence, Blood, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Violence, Child death, Confinement, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Death, Medical content, Pandemic/Epidemic, Vomit, Abandonment, and Fire/Fire injury
vvsmydiamonds's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I have a few comments. First, Ruby's mentality is difficult to grasp at the beginning of the book, and it's difficult to understand her motivations behind some of her actions and inactions. In the first 7 chapters, Ruby is telling a story, not living. Until she gets out of her first prison (physical prison, her mind is a prison too) you could count all her dialogue on your hands. We spend a lot of time in her head reading her complaints, worries, and regrets for chapters.
Secondly, the instant love with Liam is very hard to get behind. And I tried. The pair, along with Chubs and Zu spend around two weeks driving around together and despite their minimal meaningful conversation, little trust, and being literal strangers, halfway through the book they convince themselves that they're in love. It's weird because they go from 0 to 100 with like zero romantic progression. Honestly, she seems closer to Chubs, not romantically, but we watched their friendship grow through multiple conversations, positive or negative, intimate or surface. Same with Zu.
Thirdly, the IAAN disease itself just doesn't seem to make sense. If the disease emerges at puberty (which is an age range), why was nearly everyone mentioned presenting/dying at age 10 exactly? It just seemed odd for a country with millions of kids and for people whose powers are vastly different. Also, why imprison kids just to abuse them or off them? Why not just kill them all or train them all to hone their skills so you don't wipe out an entire generation? I usually don't care to nitpick that stuff but it was consistently being mentioned and the disease is a massive force in the story so I wish details around it were better developed.
Fourth, during the entire car trip in Betty, I was SO confused about how they were sitting and the layout of the car. The only constant was that while Liam was driving, Zu always sat behind him. Also, the action scenes are difficult to comprehend. I was re-reading car chases, fights, and ambushes to figure out what was going on, where people were, and how everything was happening.
Other than this, it was a great story. 3 stars for Zu, Chubs, Liam's backstory and conflict, the well-built background characters, and the fact that it reminds me of the X-men.
Graphic: Gun violence, Blood, Violence, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic, Child death, Murder, Cursing, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Child abuse
am314'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
5.0
This has to be one of my most favorite books ever. I loved it so much I couldn’t put it down. I loved it so much that I hated the characters they hated, loved the ones they loved, and found myself bawling by the end. I can’t wait to read the next one, as well as every single one after that. I can already tell I will be sad when this series ends.
Second read: 4🌟🌟🌟🌟
Wow. I never expected to like this book less, but here we are😭. Don’t get me wrong, it was still great and I enjoyed reading it, it just didn’t hit like it did the first time. I didn’t experience the extreme shock and surprise and crazy emotions that came with it originally. Still, it was a great book with characters I absolutely loved and absolutely hated (but those ones just make the plot better don’t they?), and I am very excited to continue to read the series.
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Death, Car accident, Gun violence, Murder, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Cursing
my3bb8's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Suicide, Grief, Torture, Murder, Toxic relationship, Violence, Toxic friendship, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Death, Dementia, Gaslighting, Gore, and Gun violence
psliz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Child death, Gun violence, Violence, Death, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Blood