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abicaro17'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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
se_wigget's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Violence
dalenora'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? It's complicated
3.5
I also just found January insufferable as a character. I understood the allegory the author was going for, but most of the time it felt like we were just being told factually what happened, and we wasted so much time on January justifying others shitty behavior and forgiving people who shouldn't be forgiven (ahem, looking at you Dad) and because of that felt like the ending was too rushed and not properly earned (with the big climax to the story happening maybe 20 pages before the end) with January magically transforming rather than gradually unlearning the trauma she experienced growing up. People don't just wake up fully healed, and it felt cheap that January was suddenly a different person, and the plot device that led to her transformation felt cheap, allowing her character development to come from an external force rather than letting January deconstruct the trauma of her upbringing on her own.
Graphic: Racism, Forced institutionalization, and Colonisation
merbears's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Forced institutionalization, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Confinement, Death, Xenophobia, Blood, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Colonisation, and Classism
Minor: Misogyny, Sexism, Murder, and Pregnancy
cardlikecredit'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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Confinement, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Abandonment
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Gun violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Racism and Colonisation
perifairy'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? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, Racism, Self harm, Forced institutionalization, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Blood, Abandonment, Colonisation, and Classism
atlantisfrost's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Self harm
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Gun violence, Racism, Forced institutionalization, and Colonisation
asahome's review against another edition
3.5
There is a book within a book. It felt a little like two short stories brought together in one novel with large sections devoted to one story over the other.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, Racism, Toxic relationship, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Confinement, Racism, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
amaranth_wytch's review against another edition
4.0
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Confinement, Death, Racism, Self harm, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Gun violence
craftysnailtail's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Overall, I highly recommend this book just for Harrow's style alone, but it's also a fascinating plot with creative and well developed characters. Yes, it starts off rather slow, but that's extremely intentional. Yes, January feels frustratingly naive, but of course she is given her living situation. This book is all about adventure, imagination, and developing your own life's narrative. One of the top books I read all year and I recommend it to everyone!
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Racism, Self harm, Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Racial slurs, Sexism, Slavery, Blood, Death of parent, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal cruelty, Death, Abandonment, and Alcohol