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erintempleton's review
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Trauma - these characters, especially our dear sweet Remington, have massive amounts of unresolved trauma, and it was a rollercoaster ride the whole time, albeit a pretty carefully realistic one. it never felt like Remy's experiences were shallow or trivial, and i really appreciated the way that Zidan and Xiaodan help him unlearn some of the harmful messages he was taught from childhood. A++ for that.
Tension - i mean this not only as sexual tension but also just plain suspense and court intrigue. there is so much to be drawn in by, and the narration really hooked me from the beginning. i'm a huge sucker for an outsider MC who uses humor as a coping mechanism, as it always lends itself to learning about the 'inside' world in non-obvious/cheesy ways. With the introduction of Zidan and Xiaodan, Remy's whole outsider bit gets flipped on its head, and it was really enjoyable to watch him struggle with that intimacy by fighting it the whole time.
the sexual tension was GREAT too, i just wish that their first time together would have been different:/ the way it was all wrapped up in
Soup - this might seem odd, but i noticed that 'soup-like' was an unusually common description here. in chapter six, specifically, it's used like three times in the span of ten or so pages?? so i just kept tracking it, and it came up a couple other times too. idk, it just struck me as a weird thing to say about fog or a dead monster. maybe Remy just really likes soup.
Ultimately, i'm giving this a 3.5 rating. It was really well done and exciting, but i don't think i'll read it again, as it was (imo) a bit too painful at times to read Remy's inner monologue about not being worthy of love. fans of Gideon the Ninth would probably really love this book, if that helps, and i would recommend it to anyone who can get on board with the content warnings! there are a lot of them, or there should be, so just be aware.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
its_vendetta'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
Contrary to other reviewsm I understood the worldbuilding pretty easily. Not sure why that's a problem for others, but its a cool world I enjoyed the book a lot!!
Graphic: Body horror, Emotional abuse, Gore, Blood, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Sexual harassment
Minor: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Medical trauma, and Stalking
adult/minor and sexual harassment is not between main pairings and is mostly past and just referencedcasey05's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Violence, and War
Moderate: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Medical content, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcohol
fayeelizabeth'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
4.75
Graphic: Gore, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Trafficking
books_005'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
3.75
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
honeycupreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I really enjoyed this book! I love these characters so much especially Remy. Remy is a such a wonderful character I was instantly attached to him. His struggles with his past, feeling as though he owes his father everything, the way he feels that no one loves him without needing something from him in return. My heart hurt for him immensely.
The only reason I’m not giving this book 5 stars is because of Zidan and Remys back and forth. How many times were really necessary to try and put something between them? I get it, in a way, it benefited Zidan and Remys characters to show some of their biggest flaws but at the same time it was kinda frustrating to watch it happen multiple times.
Overall I really enjoyed this book and I cannot wait to read the sequel!
Graphic: Gore, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Sexual content
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Vomit, and Pregnancy
takarakeireads'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? No
4.5
WE NEED MORE BOOKS WITH THROUPLES!!!
Graphic: Gore, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Child death, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Medical content
Minor: Death of parent
nekoshka'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
4.5
Graphic: Bullying, Violence, Blood, and Alcohol
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Sexual content
Minor: Animal death and Domestic abuse
kitkatkatdog's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Gore, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism
Minor: Child abuse and Toxic relationship
banannafox'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
4.0
Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Dementia, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Animal death, Confinement, Miscarriage, Vomit, Grief, and Classism