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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
eirelynbird'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
4.5
Moderate: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
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
se_wigget'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
44%: Wow--a sea monkeys reference... about an hour after I finished listening to an American Hysteria podcast episode about Sea Monkeys!
Graphic: Biphobia, Bullying, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Lesbophobia, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death and Grief
hales_1243's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Deadnaming, Hate crime, Homophobia, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Outing, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Moderate: Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Sexual content, Outing, and Injury/Injury detail
radler'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
Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Medical content, Religious bigotry, and Injury/Injury detail
vespera'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
3.25
Graphic: Biphobia, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Transphobia, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship
lunaxlore's review
- 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
Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Violence, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Death, Blood, and Dysphoria
Minor: Domestic abuse
in_memoriam_bonnie'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
Graphic: Hate crime and Homophobia
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts