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bookishperseus'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: Body horror, Classism, Physical abuse, Slavery, War, Cursing, Deportation, Genocide, Gore, Sexual harassment, Torture, Trafficking, Violence, Kidnapping, Medical content, Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Blood, Child death, Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Grief, Xenophobia, Confinement, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Colonisation, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Child abuse, Rape, and Sexual content
readsnow's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Sexual content, Confinement, Abandonment, War, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Rape, Violence, and Panic attacks/disorders
vnfhcxksiw'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
Graphic: Blood, Death, Grief, Murder, Slavery, War, Sexual assault, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Gore, Grief, Homophobia, Infidelity, Self harm, Blood, Child death, Classism, Death, Genocide, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Misogyny, Murder, Sexism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Sexual violence, Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Mental illness, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, and War
dazzlingreader_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Abandonment, War, Sexism, Physical abuse, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Toxic relationship, Slavery, Sexual violence, Rape, Murder, Medical content, Kidnapping, Infidelity, Homophobia, Grief, Genocide, Death, Child death, Child abuse, and Adult/minor relationship
dennyiii's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
Graphic: Abandonment, Sexism, War, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Adult/minor relationship, Violence, Trafficking, Murder, Homophobia, and Death
uranaishi's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Graphic: War, Medical content, Pandemic/Epidemic, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual violence, Body shaming, Grief, Homophobia, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Racism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Domestic abuse, Murder, Rape, Sexual content, Kidnapping, Death, Death of parent, Classism, Mental illness, Bullying, Outing, Physical abuse, Confinement, Misogyny, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Abandonment, Gaslighting, Pedophilia, Xenophobia, Gore, Sexual harassment, Animal death, Alcohol, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual assault, and Child death
jacob_dion's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Violence, War, Homophobia, Incest, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
ankiaisreading's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Rape, Toxic relationship, Death, Murder, Violence, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Blood, Child death, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Self harm, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, War, Pregnancy, Outing, Kidnapping, Incest, Genocide, Torture, Suicide attempt, and Sexual content
Moderate: Hate crime, Domestic abuse, Death, Homophobia, Gore, Emotional abuse, Blood, Alcohol, Genocide, Child abuse, and Bullying
ambenicole418's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
- Here’s the thing once Achilles and Patroclus finally get together their relationship stays stagnant, it doesn’t grow. In the beginning, it’s a lot of Patroclus admiring Achilles and then we see that shift from admiration of his abilities, into his admiration for his physical appearance, and then discovering his attraction to Achilles. And typically once two characters move from the discovering their feelings/lust/pining phase into the actually getting together phase the story shifts from a focus on their physical attraction to each other and starts making way for their emotional depth and connection to each other, but that doesn’t happen. It feels like they got together and instead of exploring the depths of their feelings for each other it’s just more lust and physical attraction. Every two seconds Patroclus is going on and on about how hot Achilles is. Even at the end when Patroclus is telling Thetis about Achilles. All he talks about is how good he was with a lyre, and his singing voice, and how his hair looked in the summer sun, and his face when he ran, and how his eyes were “solemn as an owl at lessons”. What about how loving, kind, or emotionally mature Achilles is? Does he not have any of these qualities? Don’t worry I’ll answer that question for you. He doesn’t. Achilles has zero personality outside of becoming a fame obsessed asshole once the Trojan war starts.
- Patroclus and Achilles don’t really have much if any real on page conversations about their feelings that moves the romance aspect of the book along. I mean there is plenty of on page banter between the two, but when it comes it them having deep and meaningful conversations, if they have any at all, it is primarily told through narration from Patroclus. For example, Patroclus tells us that they had a conversation about Achilles being forced to have sex with that the princess of Scyros, but we never actually get to see that conversation on page. Due to this, like I said earlier, there’s a lot of lust, but I felt little to no emotional connection between these two. Which made it hard for me to really care about their romance. I mean shit there was more romantic tension and meaningful conversations between Patroclus and Briseis than there was between Patroclus and Achilles. You can’t just say “Ohh now they have romantic feelings, an emotional bond, and have those important conversations”, and just expect the audience to believe it. Show us! Odysseus mentions that a lot of young boys take each other for lovers in their youth. What makes these two any different from the boys that get together out of getting sexual gratification from a friend? Cause as it stands they felt more like best friends with benefits than a loving couple. I feel like we didn’t get to see the depth of Achilles feelings for Patroclus until the end of the book when he died, and at that point it was too late for me to get invested.
“My plan?” His words are flat, almost detached.
“To let him rape Briseis, so that you might revenge yourself on him.” Saying it out loud is more shocking than I thought it would be.
He rises, half-turning so I cannot see his face. I read his shoulders instead, their set, the tension of his neck.
“So you warned him?”
“I did.”
“You know if he had done it, I could have killed him.” The same flat tone. “Or exiled him. Forced him from the throne. The men would have honored me like a god.”
“I know,” I say.
There is a silence, a dangerous one. I keep waiting for him to turn on me. To scream, or strike out. And he does turn, to face me, at last.
“Her safety for my honor. Are you happy with your trade?”
- I’m about to say something that should not be, but for some reason might be controversial. Achilles is a gigantic red flag 🚩. He is so self absorbed and obsessed with fame that it is frankly unhealthy and incredibly toxic. I mean this man was hot and ready to let Agamemnon SA Briesis who he KNOWS Patroclus is fond of just because he thought he could get more fame from it 🤦🏽♀️. And I’m sorry, but personally I could never take the kind of disrespect that comes with being told by the guy you’re in a “relationship” with that spending the rest of your lives together isn’t enough for him and he would rather die in battle because at least he’ll be famous and keep his Demi god status. In that whole scene where they tell Achilles the prophecy about him, not once does he ask if in the life where he chooses not to go to Troy and instead just becomes a not famous king (incredibly tragic by the way 🙄) will he at least get to be with the person he loves aka Patroclus. Not that he cares much about Patroclus or his feelings anyway considering he knew Patroclus doesn’t like fighting or killing, but he would still ask him to go to the battlefield with him when he would “grow sick of the solitude”, so Patroclus could “bear witness to his miracles” 🙄. Not to mention the fact that he let Patroclus pretend to be him in battle KNOWING that man can’t fight because it meant he got to hold onto his pride a little longer. Couple Achilles’s obsession with fame, and the way he disregards everyone else’s feelings, with the way he so easily pushes aside his morals for a few pats on the back and praise, and it’s just 🚩 city. He was torn up for DAYS after just SEEING Agamemnon’s daughter be killed and then only 2 chapters later he’s raiding villages, killing farmers, and bragging about it to Patroclus because they cheered for him??? Excuse me?? (Not that Patroclus was much better. He was suddenly okay with the gore of war because Achilles looked hot while killing soldiers 🙄) While we’re on the topic of Achilles being just the worst, I also want to say that Achilles is just about the dumbest MLI I’ve ever seen. You expect me to believe that Achilles really thought that if he married and had sex with the princess of Scyros TWICE Thetis would tell Patroclus where he was?? The same Thetis that has always hated Patroclus, threatened to hurt Patroclus on multiple occasions, and continuously tries to split the two of them up?? Clearly when the gods were bestowing the gifts of strength and speed on Achilles they took away some of his brains to balance it out. I’m sorry, but I have yet to find a single redeeming quality of Achilles.
- That whole scene where Patroclus also has sex with that same princess of Scyros was very weird, uncomfy, and unnecessary. That time could’ve been spent on actually seeing Achilles and Patroclus talk about Achilles being forced to marry and have sex with her, or how he felt being forced to leave Patroclus, or what is was like for them thinking they might never see each other again? You know, an actual conversation about their feelings.
I have plenty more examples and grievances with the book and these characters, but instead of making a long itemized list I think I’m just gonna end it here cause I’m sure you get point by now. In conclusion, I hate Achilles as a character, the relationship between him and Patroclus was toxic at best, and as a romance this book is incredibly average and I don’t understand the hype. Is it that there isn’t enough MLM romances in western media so everyone is clinging to this one?? Cause if that’s the case I have a decent list of MLM romances/BLs that I would be more than willing to recommend.
Graphic: Death, Murder, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Grief, Misogyny, Child death, Violence, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and War
plant_child_'s review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Violence and War
Moderate: Sexual content and Toxic relationship
Minor: Sexual assault