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sleepy_stardust'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
2.5
But oh my god, does Maeve Chambers ruin it.
At first, a romance subplot began with one of the side characters, Roe. It's eased into, and I found myself enjoying their relationship. Then, out of nowhere, they share a passionate kiss. No build-up, nothing, nada. From then on, I found it difficult to empathize with the main character's love problems; it's difficult to be surprised that a relationship isn't going well when the couple doesn't know one another.
Maeve's also pretty unlikeable in general. In the beginning, she seemed realistically imperfect. Were her flaws difficult to tolerate? Yes. Could I understand where she was coming from? Also, yes. However, as the novel progresses, her perspective becomes increasingly infuriating. She invalidates her partner's insecurities about their unstable relationship (which started after his sister went missing, mind you, and partly because of Maeve). She's overly capricious and causes mini-conflicts in the novel that are entirely superfluous and unworthy of the reader's attention.
Besides Maeve's characterization problems, the novel's ending is incredibly cliché. It reads like the end of a pilot episode of a crime-fighting show, where the main characters have finally realized that they're meant to take on the mysteries of the world together. It's horrendously underwhelming; O'Donoghue would have been better off starting the second book and adding exposition throughout to explain the characters' backstories.
Roe and Fiona were enough to save this book from being a total drag for me, though.
2.5☆ / 5☆
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, and Suicide attempt
thequiltyreader'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
2.0
Graphic: Body shaming, Death, Hate crime, Homophobia, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, and Outing
nylamaii'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? It's complicated
4.5
Moderate: Hate crime, Homophobia, and Blood
misswitch's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Moderate: Homophobia
missuec's review against another edition
Moderate: Hate crime and Homophobia
lucyyaga'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
3.0
Graphic: Biphobia, Deadnaming, Hate crime, Homophobia, Transphobia, Religious bigotry, and Dysphoria
applejuiceinabox's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Self harm, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail
veggiestrawenjoyer13's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia, Transphobia, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Cursing and Death
Minor: Domestic abuse, Racism, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail
zias's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Self harm
Minor: Suicide
I enjoyed this story and found it easy to read. I loved that the story used tarot cards and magic. I found Maeve to be a bit juvenile at times for being 16, but I also thought she had decent growth through the book, partly due to the events happening in the story and her learning to use tarot and magic as means of self reflection - ie herbs representing positive attributes and her recognizing when she feels episodes of rage or jealousy. I would have liked to read more about where Lily went because it felt both rushed and vague for the end of the book. I’ll definitely pick up the second book in this series.runes_reads'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
5.0
I would consider this dark-academia adjacent, vibe wise. There's mystery, discussions of privilege, and it of course takes place at a Catholic private school. The main cast is high school age, with the main girls being around the protagonists age (16) and in the same school year. The love interest is a year above them, so around 17. There is sexual content, so keep that in mind. Nothing very graphic, and the scenes are pretty short.
There is cursing throughout the book, and there's a bit of claustrophobia right at the beginning to be aware of.
I definitely recommend this story! The character flaws were a major part of it, and the characters changed and evolved so much throughout. It's creepy, suspenseful, but with lighter moments and a cute romance. The queer rep is lovely as always, with drag performers and the not-cis love interest. (I'm not sure what label he used)
5/5
Graphic: Homophobia, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Bullying and Sexual content
Minor: Misogyny