The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
madamenovelist's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Murder, Sexual harassment, Violence, Gun violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Child death, Death, Child abuse, Confinement, and Grief
abicaro17's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Body horror, Death, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Grief, Medical content, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Blood, Genocide, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Violence, and War
samcsmith'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
3.5
Moderate: Gaslighting, Mental illness, Body horror, Medical content, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Murder, Sexual content, Torture, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, War, and Trafficking
Minor: Child abuse, Cursing, Stalking, Grief, Vomit, Pedophilia, and Sexual harassment
icarusandthesun's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
the middle part
i was also not a fan of the whole "she's the only girl among hundreds of touch-starved men and forced to wear skimpy clothing" trope that basically carried the whole first half of the book. it was silly how obsessed everyone seemed to be with her, and how "hot" everyone thought she was even though she was literally rotting in a cell for more than 250 days with only one meal a day and nearly no means to hygiene. who are you kidding?
i also didn't buy the romance at all.
and he fell in love with her because she was, uh, nice? because she gave up her seat to some girl on the bus? man, those two really are a low ass bar.
and you know a book is bad when the mysogynist side-character is the funniest guy in the book...
the action sequences were absolute bullshit, too. not them literally dodging bullets LMAO and "our movements made it hard for them to aim at us". girl what-
you're a slow ahh human being and not the flash, what are you on about...
if i were warner i'd fire all of the soldiers because a 15-year-old who's played ONE round of cod or valorant would be better at shooting than those nerds.
so yeah, needless to say, 80% of this book was teenage girl fantasy nonsense. i didn't hate the ending though. the whole concept—the worldbuilding—has potential. i'm just sad this potential didn't reveal itself until the very end. but i've heard people say the sequels are better, so maybe......
Graphic: Death, Murder, Sexual harassment, Violence, Gun violence, Blood, Forced institutionalization, Physical abuse, Confinement, and War
Moderate: Bullying, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Abandonment
Minor: Child abuse, Death of parent, and Torture
lizzye33'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
4.5
Graphic: Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Confinement, Death, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Emotional abuse, Body horror, War, Medical content, and Police brutality
Moderate: Mental illness, Grief, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Suicidal thoughts, Cursing, Torture, Child abuse, and Genocide
xio72's review against another edition
3.5
The narration style would have been grating but I hadn't read anything written that way in a long time, so instead of being annoying it helped place me into the character's perspective, as it was meant to.
Graphic: Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Death, Violence, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Sexual harassment, Torture, Toxic relationship, Confinement, Physical abuse, and Sexism
meeklovestoread's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Also, I don't know if it was because I haven't read fantasy-type books since I was in grade school, but it was kind of hard to visualize some of the settings in their world.
And I can't help but confess that I'm curious about the Aaron Warner hype that has been circling the internet and that has become the centerpiece of this series. Because of what I've been reading so far I couldn't imagine how things could turn around.Â
Graphic: Abandonment, Kidnapping, Confinement, and Violence
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Classism, and Blood
Minor: War, Ableism, Sexual assault, Stalking, Grief, Medical content, and Child abuse
memoirsofabooklover's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Police brutality, Panic attacks/disorders, Bullying, Child death, Physical abuse, Confinement, Child abuse, Death, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Violence, Gun violence, Murder, Domestic abuse, Torture, Body horror, Medical content, Mental illness, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Sexual content, War, Cursing, Excrement, and Animal cruelty
alexsnerdycorner'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
4.5
Graphic: Confinement, Abandonment, and Classism
Moderate: Cursing and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Alcoholism, Bullying, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, and Alcohol
kmsander4'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
3.75
I found this one a bit difficult to get into initially, but once I was in it, I was truly in it! The action is excellent, even though it feels like not much happens, a ton does. And a lot of the world building also coincides with character development which makes it more interesting.
I'm excited to read on in the series and see how things go for Juliette, Adam, and even Warner.
Graphic: Violence, Medical content, and Gun violence