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shannnne_reads_words's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Murder, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Kidnapping, and Fire/Fire injury
jackiemcguire's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Sexual content
kate_woollams'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? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Gun violence, Self harm, and Violence
Moderate: Blood and War
Minor: Sexual content and Alcohol
claudiamacpherson's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Moderate: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child death, Cursing, Drug use, Sexual content, Kidnapping, and Alcohol
angstifies's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, and Violence
Moderate: Torture, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual content
valpyre'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
while this didn't end exactly how i hoped it would've, i personally enjoyed it as a sequel and as an ending to the series (and tbf, it wasn't entirely a surprise). i really vibed with gong's writing -- as with the previous book, i think she struck a great balance of emotional resonance and development, along with exposition. both romances were almost exactly my vibe and kept me on my toes in anticipation.
while i admire gong's ability to move the plot along, always having something going on that the characters are inciting or catching up with, i think there was a little too much going on here, and the monster plot suffered a little for it. and though i did really enjoy the multiple pov's, (view spoiler)
also, as with the last book, the audiobook narrator was great, but her choice to harshly whisper dynamic (loud/intense) dialogue was distracting.
Graphic: Gun violence and Violence
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, and Injury/Injury detail
beccas_bibliophilia'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
5.0
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Murder, and War
Minor: Sexual content and Suicide
booksthatburn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The worldbuilding is consistent with the previous book, but it's now slowing down to build as many non-human parts of the setting as THESE VIOLENT DELIGHTS was able to. Juliet sometimes still wears flapper dresses, and Roma has a Meaningful Wardrobe Change, but tensions are high and there's just less time for fun. Plenty of time for emotionally fraught pining and hatred, especially coming off of events from the last book.
I love how much Kathleen shines in this one, she has a much better sense of herself and what place she wants to hold. Alisa, too, gets more of a role and it's very nice to see. Ben and Marsh are fantastic, I'm so happy about their arc here.
This wraps up a bunch of things from THESE VIOLENT DELIGHTS. It has a couple of storylines which start here and weren't present before, but since this is part two of a duology that's somewhat limited, as it exists to complete the story. I'm not sure if any major things were both introduced and resolved here, as generally the groundwork was laid previously even if the very specific story thread is mostly contained to this volume. It feels finished, except in as much as the ending intentionally left things open, e.g. living characters are implied to have plans for what they'll do next. The main characters are the same, with a similar ratio of how many chapters each one narrates. Their voices are distinct from each other but consistent with their styles of narration from THESE VIOLENT DELIGHTS. This might make some sense if someone picked it up at random and didn't know about the series (especially if they're familiar with ROMEO AND JULIETTE. The relevant backstory is succinctly and precisely conveyed in a way that makes it pretty easy to get up to speed, but certain character motivations and present circumstances will be confusing if someone tries to begin here, in part two of two. It does hit the sweet spot for enough of a reminder for readers who waited a while after reading the first book, at least as far as I'm concerned.
Well-done with an ending I'm still thinking about, make sure to check out OUR VIOLENT ENDS.
Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, and Murder
Moderate: Child death, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Physical abuse
ericadawson'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
4.25
I'm impressed--I know that often, writing gets stronger with a sequel and subsequent books, but Gong already had a strong voice from the start and only managed to continue using this complex, vivid prose. It was dense in a good way--the kind that made me want to keep reading because it was thick but not clunky. There was a lot, but it wasn't overpowering and it flowed smoothly. The story and plot was visceral without being overbearing or jarring.
I liked all of the characters. I knew where Roma and Juliette would end up (duh) and at first, I was resistant to the idea. I was attached to the concept of a happily ever after, but as the end of their arcs approached, I stopped resisting it. Their arcs ended in a fitting way, and I was shocked to see how satisfied I was with everyone's ends.
Marshall and Celia were two of my favorite characters. I really couldn't hate anyone here--even Tyler grew in my eyes, becoming less of a pesky and annoying character. I'm glad Gong didn't bury any of the gays.
I wouldn't necessarily say I have an issue with pacing so much as it was a problem with the balance between the plots. At one point, the monsters were almost totally dropped as the political focus took over, and it began to feel almost like a different book. The events at the end of the book didn't move fast so much as it was just a lot to take in in a short amount of time. Some pieces of stars were lost for this and for the dialogue. Fantasy authors needs to stop being so afraid of contractions (the lack thereof honestly only felt natural with Roma, but that's because of his more serious personality. It didn't work with anyone else).
It's been a while since I've read anything so satisfying. Highly recommend.
Graphic: Gore, Gun violence, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Homophobia
The minor homophobia is more of a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment or two, honestly not even something that super affects/harms the characters.lindseyhall44's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gun violence, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Colonisation
Moderate: Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Minor: Sexual content