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klsreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I'm giving this a 4 because I love the premise of the series, and I hope that Bardugo can pull it off with the final novel. There are SO many interesting things going on, and I think she can recapture the balance of the first book, answer the big questions, and actually explore power, class, racism, sexism, colonialism, and violence in academia.
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Confinement, Drug abuse, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual violence, Vomit, Police brutality, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, and Colonisation
Minor: Animal cruelty, Child death, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
jeggert10's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Animal death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Police brutality, Grief, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Classism
Minor: Addiction, Child death, Drug use, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Vomit, Suicide attempt, and Fire/Fire injury
itsheyfay'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
4.75
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gun violence, Vomit, and Stalking
Minor: Child death, Drug use, Racism, Slavery, and Suicide attempt
adrienreads'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
This book is dark, but if the first book was too explicit/intense for you, this one definitely felt "lighter", more-or-less. Still dark and horrific, but there was far less (on-screen at least) sexual violence, and overall I had a much easier time with this one. Again, still not "light reading" by any means, but worth noting.
If you've loved Bardugo's other books, this one scratches that same itch, and more.
Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Classism
Moderate: Child death, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Trafficking, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Misogyny, Racism, and Slavery
felixfue's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, and War
prairieraven'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? Yes
4.25
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
melissafelicia's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cursing, Drug use, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child death and Vomit
suchsweetsorrow89's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
there are some specific things within this that I will spoil below, but all in all, I think this is a really fun read when you're looking to pass the time. in addition, I think the serious moments and reflections in this book are really stunning and you can tell how much leigh as evolved as a writer, philosopher, and world-builder.
- I would have liked to see more of dawes' backstory! while alex's story is special, it's also the story we have heard before. I thought one of the strongest aspects of ninth house was darlington's story, and I would have loved something similar for dawes, especially since she plays a more prominent role.
- on that note on darlington, I wish there were more of him. while I understand that's the 'point', I thought he fell way flatter than usual in his own thoughts and in his interactions with everyone after being rescued. it really did feel like he took more of a secondary/unnecessary role after his rescue, and it left me feeling uncomfortable in the wrong way (almost like it was defamation to all that his character was built up to be in the first book). I'm also not really buying that he would just surrender to alex, to his role, and to lethe as easily as he did.
- the twist was... just fine. maybe it's because I'm older, but I thought that this twist was a bit more expected than the first and just was not a page-turner in the way the other was.
- unfortunately, the ending did not make me really excited for the third book, since this new plotline just felt like a weird grab all while the one for the first book just made more sense? idk idk
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Vomit, Police brutality, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Panic attacks/disorders, Forced institutionalization, and Police brutality
torturedreadersdept'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: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Mental illness, Racism, and Torture
Minor: Addiction, Cancer, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Police brutality, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Alcohol
theotheleo's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Animal death, Cursing, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Mental illness, Racism, Torture, and Blood
Minor: Emotional abuse, Rape, Slavery, Suicide, Medical content, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Fire/Fire injury