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ouijabroad's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
I knew going in that the characters weren’t likable and I’m fine with that. The thing is I didn’t care about them, the story they were telling or what happened to them. The beginning was sad and I had empathy for Mario’s financial struggles and how healthcare is a sick joke, but that’s about all I felt the entire book.
The messed up and sometimes (weirdly and randomly) even supernatural things that happened had no explanation and the violence was purely there to shock the reader.
The author cannot write women, he is as bad as Stephen king. Any woman is just there to further plot and they're either reduced to their looks and bodies or viewed as a mother figure (or both like Stephanie!). Also really loves telling us about fat folks because that totally adds to the story. And all the fat folks were objectively bad people.
I didn’t dig his writing style; This author really likes to use similes at a distracting rate.
Now, the “action” during the climax: it was such a dud. All this lead up and exposition with so many unexplained happenings, violence and then it’s just over. I can’t believe I spent so long trying to get through this one. I wish I had put this in the DNF pile.
Graphic: Addiction, Body shaming, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Animal death
ruthypoo2'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
4.0
Looking for a way to recover financial stability and win back his estranged wife, Mario embarks on a life of crime he sees as short term. An opportunity becomes available for Mario to join two friends for a high-paying job that promises to be the payday they all need to start over and leave behind their criminal pasts. Unfortunately, this last job takes them into the underbelly of a world where the strong survive eliminating rivals and punishing traitors, and in this world, spirituality harnesses not just God, but the Devil too.
Really well-written story and a good translation. The assorted people and various landscapes of their environments felt visceral and real. In a lot of books and movies, criminals and the poor are portrayed in a one-dimensional way, but in this book, the characters possess great intelligence and depth, and the reader may likely be exposed to a harsh reality that many people experience but many more are insulated from by virtue of their skin color, neighborhood, lineage, and sometimes just luck.
I listened to the audiobook, and the narration by Jean-Marc Berne was excellent.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Gun violence, Torture, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Cancer, Child death, Drug use, Gore, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Blood, and Grief
Minor: Homophobia, Infidelity, Medical content, and Alcohol
szmay's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Terminal illness, Violence, Xenophobia, Trafficking, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
victoriaharris001'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
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Cancer, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Xenophobia, Vomit, Trafficking, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
meliroo's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail