Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book draws you in, makes you want to never put it down, and I never did I loved this book. The characters make you feel almost like you are in the book, the story is just amazing. I loved it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Murder
Moderate: Misogyny, Torture, Violence
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Set in a fictional, closed city immersed in guild rule, readers follow Isabel - now known as ‘Bella’ - a child trained to be a deadly assassin since the day she could walk, after her escape from the bloodshed life she knew.
It was such a brilliant, immersive read - it took me two hours, I don’t think I looked up once. Whilst the concept of a child killer, one that is trained so elitely, may seem far fetched - Longman explains this brilliantly - Isabel is the product, and the greatest victory, of the guilds most controversial training program yet, one which tests on minors.
And her father is its founder.
It deals with important themes so brilliantly - with harrowing explorations of PTSD, familial abandonment, unlikely but unconditional friendship, and, ultimately, the tale of someone who has lived the most unusual of lives trying to settle in her adolescence. It’s coming of age with a significant twist.
I cannot wait for the next book.
It was such a brilliant, immersive read - it took me two hours, I don’t think I looked up once. Whilst the concept of a child killer, one that is trained so elitely, may seem far fetched - Longman explains this brilliantly - Isabel is the product, and the greatest victory, of the guilds most controversial training program yet, one which tests on minors.
And her father is its founder.
It deals with important themes so brilliantly - with harrowing explorations of PTSD, familial abandonment, unlikely but unconditional friendship, and, ultimately, the tale of someone who has lived the most unusual of lives trying to settle in her adolescence. It’s coming of age with a significant twist.
I cannot wait for the next book.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
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
This book is amazing, what an absolute ride for a first novel. Isabel’s struggle is so real and so raw, Emma is a constant ray of sunshine and the not knowing who you can trust is very engaging. The casual representation is also very well done and exactly what I would like to see more of in fiction. Im so glad I decided to buy this book.
this book also did something very interesting that I’ve never seen done before, poisoning the main character in such a slow painful way, usually poisonings are resolved fairly quickly but this one was over half of the book. It’s such a small detail but I think dragging out the suffering really helped emphasise just how fucked up life has been to Isabel at this point.
All in all this book is great, highly recommend to anyone who likes dystopia stories.
All in all this book is great, highly recommend to anyone who likes dystopia stories.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting