unboxedjack's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Moderate: Grief, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Suicide, Gore, Torture, Body horror, Death, Kidnapping, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, and Panic attacks/disorders
kadtide's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Blood, Mental illness, Kidnapping, Violence, Body horror, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Suicide, and Torture
Minor: Sexism, Fire/Fire injury, and Racism
elle_dee's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Body horror, Addiction, Racism, Self harm, Alcohol, Blood, Cancer, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Death, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Sexual harassment, Abandonment, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Terminal illness, and Torture
nutm3g's review
- 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: Kidnapping, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Body horror, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and War
Moderate: Abandonment, Drug use, Dysphoria, Gore, Grief, Mental illness, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Eating disorder, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Genocide, Addiction, Child abuse, Confinement, Death of parent, and Drug abuse
Minor: Domestic abuse, Racism, and Religious bigotry
kidprezident's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Gore, Death, Body horror, and Suicide
Moderate: Addiction and Torture
jashanac's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Spoiler
different dimensionsI just really enjoyed the exploration of what it means to be a "chosen one", once the Big Bad is defeated and what the effects of that could be. And then the exploration of good versus evil in general - I liked what Veronica Roth did with that. It felt like a fresh take on it for me.
I am VERY curious about how things are going to pan out with the WILD ending... !
Graphic: Body horror, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Blood, Death, Drug abuse, Gore, Grief, Kidnapping, Murder, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Cancer, Suicide, and Torture
imcharlottek's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I also enjoyed the structure of the book, with its interspersed government papers and news/book excerpts.
My only issue is sometimes the writing felt a little odd - “Creepmaster 2000” doesn’t quite feel like something your average late 20-something would say.
Overall, this read genuinely gripped me. I struggled to put it down and finished it in 2.5 days (which is very unusual for me).
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Sexism, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Genocide, and Mental illness
Minor: Racism
books_and_mags's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death, Body horror, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Death of parent
the_wendybirb's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
What I didn't like- The Twist (and how easily the hero accepts it.), The Prophecy and how muddled it got, The Motel Scene (unnecessary mention of sexy times at a dumb point in the plot), the Big Bad's memory reveal that doesn't mesh with what we know of the universe (I really hope we get more explanation in future books), supporting characters that are more props than people, a white/cis/(assumed) straight hero whose diverse friend group doesn't get a chance to shine (I'd like someone non-white/straight to be a kick-ass hero. [Also for the gay character to casually give someone a smooch.])
I'll seek out future books in the series, but I'm not expecting them to knock my socks off. I hope I'm proven wrong, because I love the worlds I've been introduced to.
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Kidnapping and Suicide
Minor: Drug use and Body horror
Rants I just need to get out:Spoiler
Why was the gay lady left behind?! Why was the Big Bad suddenly reveled as practically immortal in the final pages?! Can we get more info on why he needed to manipulate so many folks into hating him? Cause he sucked from the beginning. And how are our heroes going to reunite in another country in a month? The world is in chaos. I expect either dangerous apocalyptic gangs or increased border security to quell the chaos.iviarelle's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I don't often find myself reading books I consider medium-paced, that nevertheless don't let my attention stray. I'd go a few days between reading, but I couldn't read less than 10% at a sitting and I had to tear myself away. My biggest complaint is that the clippings from top secret documents and news articles threw me out of the story as often as they supplemented my feeling of knowledge about this story's background. Mostly, I just wanted to get back to the story I was increasingly invested in. That being said, the mysteries and twists are seeded wonderfully throughout the text, and the climax and resolution speak to me in a way very, very few stories do.
Which brings me to Sloane. Sloane is definitely way up there in my top 5 "relating way too hard to a character" characters. She's all rough edges, sharp tongue, and stubbornness, and I love her like I would another self because in some ways I used to be her and still am to a great degree. She grows and learns over the course of the book, but she never stops being the jagged, marshmallow-free queen she begins the story as. She will definitely NOT be relatable to everyone, but oh boy am I glad to know her now.
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Violence
Moderate: Addiction, Cancer, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Drug abuse, and Medical content