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A review by sarah984
The Chandler Legacies by Abdi Nazemian
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-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
3.0
This is yet another book with an interesting concept but a kind of meh execution. I liked the general plot trajectory (wrapped up a bit too neatly for me but this is YA so that's not surprising), most of the heavy topics are covered well, and I thought the friend group's evolution worked really nicely.
However, there were way too many POV characters and topics covered, and it made the pacing feel off. I feel like with a few tweaks Beth and Brunson could have been cut without losing much plotwise (Beth was so frustrating that her POV chapters made me want to DNF twice in the first half so maybe I'm biased) as they were the least well developed of the characters. The conflict should have been introduced way earlier so that a revelation near the end wouldn't feel so rushed.
However, there were way too many POV characters and topics covered, and it made the pacing feel off. I feel like with a few tweaks Beth and Brunson could have been cut without losing much plotwise (Beth was so frustrating that her POV chapters made me want to DNF twice in the first half so maybe I'm biased) as they were the least well developed of the characters. The conflict should have been introduced way earlier so that a revelation near the end wouldn't feel so rushed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Mental illness, Racism, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Classism, Homophobia, Sexual content, Cancer, and Child abuse
Minor: Cursing, Misogyny, Toxic friendship, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, and Sexual content
There are several harrowing scenes describing hazing in a boys' dormitory.
Multiple scenes featuring the mindset/thoughts of a character with obsessive hair pulling.