magepersephone's review
- 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: Gore and Sexual harassment
brianneh's review
4.0
Graphic: Gore and Murder
Moderate: Bullying, Fatphobia, and Racism
rachelditty's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I thought the ending was fitting for the story.
Spoiler
Having Arianna die for her mistakes, Amanda joining a different pack, and Becca and Marley being freed from the pack. I feel like there's an analogy in there somewhere about the constraints of what's expected of young girls, especially those in the closet, but I think it would've been portrayed a lot more effectively if there were more members of the pack, and the pack from Stanford, that were queer as well, not just Becca and Marley. Werewolves are historically used as an allegory for the outsiders, for queer people, or those who society has deemed "other" and "infectious." Having both leaders of the packs be (what seem to be) straight white rich girls seems so out of the scope of what werewolves could be.Marley and Becca were pretty cute toward the end, but I really wasn't hooked on their relationship. It didn't feel like Marley was ever a member of the group that went against Arianna, only Amanda ever really did that. If Marley had had more moments where she grappled with Arianna's way of doing things, I thought her relationship with Becca would have been more interesting.
Also, as much as I didn't like Arianna, I didn't like that she was killed by girls she thought were people who would always have her back, in the same place she was drugged and almost assaulted. The whole point of the story was girls taking back power from boys who saw them as nothing more than a means to their own ends, and the girls were always supposed to take the power back from them. But Arianna dies behind a dumpster where a boy almost sexually assaults her? Yes, I think it was the right call for her to die, but the way it happened just felt wrong.
Becca and Marley were cute in their prom dresses though, so I guess points for that.
The illustrations were the best part of this, to be honest.
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Murder, Sexual violence, Gore, Violence, Blood, Body horror, and Death
flyingryndeer's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Murder, Gore, and Blood
Moderate: Rape
pam_'s review
- 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: Fatphobia, Gore, and Murder
Minor: Body shaming, Death, Sexual harassment, Blood, Eating disorder, Bullying, Cannibalism, Misogyny, Murder, Gore, Sexual assault, and Violence
sunshineandstacks'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
Graphic: Gore, Murder, and Blood
dottiewankenobi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Compliments first: the art is amazing, gorgeous, gripping, etc. The girls were so pretty, the fashion was great, and even the gore was interesting to see (even if made my stomach turn a little bit)! For the writing,
Spoiler
the part I enjoyed the most was 100% Amanda--the hints of her not following along with Arianna's rules from the very beginning, the fact that she brought up Allyson way before she went to her, the way she was able to naturally kind of manipulate the other girls into going to the college party, it was all great. Loved her.I feel pretty conflicted about this story in general, though. I know it was intentional that Becca was super bitter throughout most of it, but it put me off a bit right from the start. Her scenes with her mom annoyed me (to be fair, her mom wasn't always being great, but like god Becca is such a teenager, putting meaning behind her mom's words that I don't really think her mom meant). Generally, almost everyone in this story was an asshole -- and while that's not unrealistic & is the point of the story, that makes it harder for me to decide how I feel about everything.
Spoiler
While I think what happened to Arianna was deserved to an extent, a question this story doesn't really address is "who deserves the death penalty?" Thatcher was a creep but I don't think he deserved to die the way he did. Arianna was a murderer but her ending was brutal and so slow and agonizing. All of those boys who died (except for the one who was basically assaulted before his death) were annoying little shits, but did they deserve to die?Meanwhile on the topic of consequences, Amanda, the only one who was willing to speak up for what was right, ended the story alone. Marley and Becca got to shed the guilt of being murderers, of going along with killing (or almost killing) innocent people, the weight of being werewolves (which Marley at least didn't seem to really feel most of the time). The scene where Becca cried about feeling guilty was so good -- but having had it and knowing the end, it makes me wonder if she's still remorseful. And she doesn't have to be, it would be in character for these girls to not feel sorry anymore once the consequences aren't really something they need to worry about, but it does make me like her less.
Ultimately I'm not entirely sure what I was meant to take from this story, what the author was trying to tell me. I'd be really curious to hear what she thinks of their morality, not just at the end but through the whole arc.
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Sexual assault, Blood, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Infidelity and Lesbophobia
dearestiefling's review
- 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
2.75
Graphic: Gore and Death
Moderate: Sexual harassment and Vomit
cbreading's review
- 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? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Sexual content and Gore
High school and older only readers for suremarie_j's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Death, Blood, Gore, Injury/injury detail, Murder, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Alcohol and Sexual harassment
Minor: Fatphobia, Sexual assault, Racism, Sexual content, and Eating disorder