emglange's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Child death
thiszetasajerk'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
Graphic: Murder, Death of parent, Child death, and Death
lucystolethesky'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
4.0
Graphic: Murder, Child death, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Classism, Bullying, Animal death, and Gore
Minor: Pregnancy, Animal cruelty, Suicidal thoughts, Drug use, Bullying, Body horror, Islamophobia, and Cultural appropriation
amandaboyer'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
4.0
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Child death, Murder, Death, Gore, Violence, and Death of parent
passionatereader78'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? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Classism, Child death, Death, and Vomit
Minor: Pregnancy and Death of parent
hzamrzla's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Bullying and Violence
Minor: Sexual assault, Animal cruelty, Child death, and Emotional abuse
One scene is not a sexual assault, but a pretty blatant sexual assault parallel. It was the only thing in the book that really gave me pause.tbd's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Abandonment, Child death, Murder, Classism, and Vomit
Minor: Abandonment
emmhardt's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, and Child death
wordsofclover'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
This was a really fun audiobook listen - the pacing of the book is quite fast and action-packed with some kind of monster fight happening every couple of pages (even if it's just Orion blasting a few away from El's head) and while I did find there was a lot of information coming my way about how the school worked as well as manna vs malia, I think I understood almost all of it.
The magic school setting is a fun one as this particular setting is different to other kinds of schools in just how dangerous it is. There are no adults or teachers present, the school provides all the education the students need in different topics with the library presenting the students the books they need or want for certain things (or sometimes the spells the school wants them to know). I did have to suspend some disbelief in how any parents would be okay sending their children to be locked away for 5 years in a place that has an extremely high mortality rate but that's just the way this world works.
El as a character is very good - she's really smart and powerful but there's a prophecy about her being able to bring about world destruction - and the way the school reacts to this power of El's is quite funny in many ways. She's snappy and well able to take care of herself but during this book we see moments of vulnerability within her, and ways in which she is a normal teenage girl.
There's not a lot of general teen angst or romance in this book because the students have a lot more to be worrying about but there was a moment near the end of the book that some of it came in and I actually really loved it as it was a lovely, light moment at the end of a book that had been fairly dark - both between El and Orion, and her two girlfriends.
I really liked this, and I'm moving straight onto the next book as it's a fun world to be in for a while.
Moderate: Death
Minor: Child death and Death of parent
beccaand'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
4.0
Graphic: Death, Gore, Child death, Blood, and Violence
Moderate: Murder and Death of parent
Minor: Animal death