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madisonfrank's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Racism, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Cursing, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Stalking, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, and Classism
hayleyvem's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Colonisation
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Islamophobia and Alcohol
zoevjester's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Reading this after reading Babel is a thrilling experience because of the author pointing a finger at all the readers who slammed the book for disturbing them with the racism that's written and shown. Seeing the dialogue in the book that's lifted from the reviews the author received? Absolutely delightful.
However, the second half of the book shifts into the characters being the focus - and this is when my stomach soured as I read on.
June is an incredibly well-written character. She is a thief and a liar and we are in her head for the majority of the story so we see her thoughts and mannerism. She's a horrible human being, adamant and persistent and her sin is Envy - over her friend, Athena Liu.
Athena, for all of appearing in only one chapter before her death, she is prominent throughout the whole story. We see her life through the perspective of June, and of other characters, and they all comment on her whole life.
It would have been nice, I think, if the final chapter of Athena's life was written from her POV, so we get an unfiltered perspective of her and who she is, but not doing so I guess adds the mystery of who she truly was.
However, I dropped this to 4 instead of 5 stars. The second half of the story contains some topics that needed content warnings. I wouldn't have read this if I'd known these topics were written about.
But, I'm curious about the quote, 'An Act of Translation is an Act of Betrayal'. It's the opener for Babel: An Arcane History, and also written in this book too. I'd love to know what this quote means for the author.
Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexual assault, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Colonisation, War, and Classism
Minor: Bullying, Misogyny, Sexism, Xenophobia, Stalking, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
issyd23's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, and Classism
rachelshubin's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Colonisation
mirandyli's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Classism
lynxpardinus's review against another edition
4.25
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Rape, Grief, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and War
Moderate: Child abuse, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Vomit, Murder, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Drug use, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Trafficking, Abortion, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, and Deportation
yolie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
June Hayward, is unlikeable and very unapologetic about it - matter of fact according to her, everyone else owes her an apology.
I really enjoyed this book, and I think it stirred up thoughts about not only representation but also who is allowed to tell a story and who we give a platform to.
Graphic: Death, Racism, Cultural appropriation, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, and Sexual violence
Minor: Colonisation and Injury/Injury detail
mirandaschnoor's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Death, Racism, and Cultural appropriation
Moderate: Sexual violence and Colonisation
justwingit03's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Colonisation