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msradiosilence's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Full review to come. :)
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Addiction, Mental illness, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Chronic illness, Classism, Grief, Abandonment, Alcohol, Cursing, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Death
Moderate: Blood, Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Injury/Injury detail, Biphobia, Sexual assault, Violence, and War
Minor: Kidnapping, Stalking, Cancer, Confinement, Rape, and Religious bigotry
molly_rose's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Abandonment, Death, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Sexual assault, Blood, War, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Sexual violence, Cancer, Alcohol, and Rape
sefab764's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Moderate: Addiction and Alcoholism
Minor: Blood, Chronic illness, Classism, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Death, Suicidal thoughts, War, Death of parent, Drug use, Drug abuse, and Grief
madmilliner's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
It is the ultimate manic pixie dream girl vs depressive demon nightmare boy, I felt it was trying too hard and was somehow ¿oversaturated?
Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, Torture, Grief, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Dysphoria, Drug use, Drug abuse, Death of parent, Death, Confinement, and Chronic illness
Moderate: Biphobia, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Self harm, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Misogyny, Mental illness, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, War, Violence, Suicide, Sexual assault, Rape, Kidnapping, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Cursing, Confinement, Child death, Blood, Addiction, Abandonment, and Torture
nothingforpomegranted's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Henry is the only employee of The Last Word, a rundown used bookshop in Manhattan, and when Addie returns to his store after stealing a torn Greek-language copy of The Odyssey, attempting to exchange the very same book, he is incredulous. "I remember you," he tells her, words she hasn't heard in nearly three centuries, and which set them off on a whirlwind journey.
The story jumps back and forth in time a bit, setting the scene for Addie's deal and her long process of interpreting its complexities and, eventually, granting us a glimpse into Henry's life before Addie, his relationships with his siblings and parents and best friends. When Addie's curse and Luc inevitably begin to intervene, the two lovers are desperate to hold on to each other, and it is a rush to the ending as all three characters attempt to navigate the many iterations of love.
This complicated romance and bizarre love triangle was engaging and exciting, if a bit predictable, and I enjoyed Henry and Addie's efforts to learn each other's stories. Their love seemed hopeful and wholesome, and a drastic contrast from the deep, fascinating, troubling obsession between Addie and Luc. The presentation of these two potential sides of love was powerfully executed and utterly chilling.
The way to get there, though, left something to be desired, and, frankly, I think the book could have used another swipe over from an editor or two. Despite a gripping first sentence, the beginning of the novel was convoluted and without all the press copy and layperson hype surrounding the book, I would not have understood Addie's curse at all. As it stood, I'm still not convinced that Addie made a Faustian deal at all while laying there in the woods, though that is certainly how its consequences played out for the rest of the novel. I would have appreciated a lot more clarity in those first few pages.
As the book went on, I was frustrated by the repeated emphasis on Luc's and Henry's similar appearance and the strange repeated callback to Addie's girlhood sketches of a dream man. Green eyes and curly black hair. Classically handsome, somewhat dark, and ultimately predictably basic. Luc's personality was far more complicated and intriguing than his ability to shapeshift into a creature of attraction, and Henry's, though a rather flattened representation of someone with lifelong social anxiety and depression, certainly deserved more credit than it got. This flaw of repetition was also frustrating in scene after scene of Addie being forgotten "the morning after." Though certain of these stories were significant and profound, Addie is clearly a clever and conniving character, and I was disappointed to see her reduced to something of sexual pawn, playing the part of a drunken mistake or a prostitute far more often than a résistante or spy or caregiver.
And yet with all my hesitations throughout the book, I actually loved the ending. The climax, admittedly, was slightly confusing, but I felt all the suspense deeply, and I found myself rooting for all three characters, despite their significant flaws. Schwab painted a complicated portrait of the sometimes dark depths of love in the final chapters, and I was completely immersed. In the final, final moments, I was surprised to be surprised, and I am incredibly content with the way it all played out.
Moderate: Chronic illness, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship