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tania_mybookishsecret's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, and War
Minor: Vomit
swiftpool's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Torture, Violence, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Mental illness
Minor: Mass/school shootings
theresamothinmyroom'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, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Car accident, Death of parent, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Kidnapping, and Mass/school shootings
Minor: Child death and Drug use
speterson47's review against another edition
4.0
Highly suggest for fans of other V.E. Schwab stories, even though this one has more of a YA feel.
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Gun violence and Violence
carefulfearanddeaddevotion's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
i adoreeee both August and Kate, they're so funny and charming and sweet and i just wanna cup em in my hands. was giggling and kicking my feet every two pages. the supporting cast was maybe a tiny bit flat, but idrc because i just <3 A&K soo much.
I love a good R&J-adjacent story (basically just two kids from rival families making googly eyes at each other. do not like the "everyone dies" part of R&J - i'm a sucker for a happy ending idc), and now you've gone and added MONSTERS to it?? omg yes. lovee the parallel of August struggling against his nature and wanting to be human the whole book
the one and only thing that made me "hmmmm🤔": I don't really understand why self-defense makes you a "sinner". like, i get "for the plot," or whatever
anyway, two thumbs up
ooohhh also very intrigued by the fact that
Graphic: Death, Torture, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gun violence, Mental illness, Vomit, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Car accident, Death of parent, and War
Minor: Domestic abuse
nekoshka's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, and Death of parent
Moderate: Torture, Car accident, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Domestic abuse and Mass/school shootings
ctara2123's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Car accident and Death of parent
Minor: Mass/school shootings
amelianotthepilot's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The plot follows two high schoolers on different sides of ‘the seam’. They live in a dystopian mega city called Verity that is plagued with monsters. The south is governed by a militaristic ruling family that utilizes monsters to defend while the north is ruled by a business man who utilizes the monsters and has people pay him to keep them ‘safe’. The monsters are Malachai: evil vampire-like creatures that like to kill, have really tough skin, and a bone breast plate, Corosai: evil hive mind creatures that are mostly shadow and can be destroyed with light to the face, and Sunai: a siren-like creature that reap evil human souls only but without them starves and goes off like a bomb before continuing. Our main characters August, a Sunai from the South side who is adopted into the military ruling family, and Kate, the daughter of the businessman ruler of the North side, meet in a precarious arranged situation and end up on an adventure together.
My main confusion was over August, the Sunai, who isn’t really explained. The reader slowly pieces his situation together which is meant to be mysterious but just ends up confusing. He has tally mark tattoos that mark how many days since he’s last gone off like bomb, and these magically appear and disappear. He needs to ‘eat’ evil human souls in an unspecified ‘often’ and if not he grows physically and mentally ill. He has this adoptive family situation that isn’t fully explained but his two ‘siblings’ are also adoptive Sunai, and no other known ones exist.
I really enjoyed the story but it is clearly one of VE Scwab’s earlier stories and has a lot of loose threads. It’s cool to see how she’s grown as an author. I recommend the book but I’d read a world building explanation first.
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Islamophobia, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, and Dysphoria
maura_willis's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Gun violence, Death of parent, and War
imds's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, and Abandonment