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kalienareads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
this book is a YA novel written by an adult man. that is the best way to put it. the fact that i knew he was a screenwriter first, novelist second made it easier for me to accept the rushed pacing of everything (it was literally just one thing after another, the way a movie or mini-series tries to jampack things into a space) and to accept that it was, well, a result of its time.
while its expected for a post-apoc/dystopian book to be similar to the others of its time, it really doesn’t veer far from it. i don’t agree in regards to the language and sexual content of the book — it wasn’t clean, but they’re teenagers given sudden freedom. we’ve all seen how rumspringas and kids with super strict parents go; kids can get raunchy af, so i don’t think that’s a problem so much as, well, the rest of the tropes that are just tossed on the page.
i forgot jeff was japanese for most of the book. i would’ve kept forgetting if the other characters didn’t mention it, if i’m being honest, it wasn’t something required of him. and seethrough being called that bc people mocked her for wanting to he called sifu was a microaggression at best and racist af at worst, especially considering she was as talented as her father. overall, the characters were fun, their dynamics were entertaining, but they weren’t particularly life changing.
thoughchu hua’s death was actually fucking painful , so i’ll give him that.
an attempt was made, and it was a fun, silly book to read through but nothing i’d add to a must-read list.
while its expected for a post-apoc/dystopian book to be similar to the others of its time, it really doesn’t veer far from it. i don’t agree in regards to the language and sexual content of the book — it wasn’t clean, but they’re teenagers given sudden freedom. we’ve all seen how rumspringas and kids with super strict parents go; kids can get raunchy af, so i don’t think that’s a problem so much as, well, the rest of the tropes that are just tossed on the page.
i forgot jeff was japanese for most of the book. i would’ve kept forgetting if the other characters didn’t mention it, if i’m being honest, it wasn’t something required of him. and seethrough being called that bc people mocked her for wanting to he called sifu was a microaggression at best and racist af at worst, especially considering she was as talented as her father. overall, the characters were fun, their dynamics were entertaining, but they weren’t particularly life changing.
though
an attempt was made, and it was a fun, silly book to read through but nothing i’d add to a must-read list.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Murder
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual content
Minor: Racism