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A review by lue_moon
The Four by Ellie Keel

dark tense medium-paced
  • 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

3.0

While I liked the premise and the unexpected queer rep, this ended up as a "meh" book for me. I should have known when it was compared to If We Were Villians, it wasn't going to be for me. 

I did like much of the writing in this book, but a lot of the story felt equal parts confusing and unnecessary. There was trauma on top of trauma and things that happened that felt like it was for the sake of some shock factor rather than to move the plot. And I know it was likely to keep readers guessing, but how many times in one book can you use the plot device of people getting interrupted right before they reveal important information? (It happens so often to the point of annoyance for me).

I do appreciate that the queer rep was just another part of the story rather than one of the main trauma points. I did like the writing enough that I would give this author another try, probably.

Oh, and pretty significant content warnings
Expand filter menu Content Warnings