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crazybooklady89's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Slavery, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
seforana'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: Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, War, and Injury/Injury detail
edenlacoy'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
5.0
This book was incredibly intriguing and kept me engaged the entire time I read it! I could hardly put it down! The plot twist was unexpected and a wonderful addition to this already amazing work! Highly recommend!
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, Slavery, Torture, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child death, Death, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, and Death of parent
Despite all the things I chose above the content and way it is portraided would still have me recommending it for 10+.abbygdickerson's review
- 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
4.0
Moderate: Confinement, Physical abuse, and Grief
agoldendear's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I think what I liked most about it was the tense plot of this book. You're always aware that the protagonist, Sage, is in a dangerous situation, and one wrong move could end his life. There was also an element of mystery. (minor spoiler)
That being said, there was a lot I didn't like in my second reading. First, the writing frustrated me because nothing the teenagers said sounded like how teens talk in the real world. Everyone speaks a bit too unnaturally to convince me that they are real people. Even if you just read the first page of Sage's inner thoughts, you'll get what I mean.
Second, I didn't particularly like the characters. Sage was annoying and reminded me of this guy I knew in high school who would argue with our teachers constantly for no good reason. I didn't particularly want him to be chosen as the king for most of the book. The other two boys were also pretty bad. They didn't even START to like each other, or at least develop some sense of camaraderie from being stuck together in a terrible situation. But nope, they were always jerks. There wasn't even a point to (major spoiler)
Oh, and speaking of the women--Sage always started his descriptions of them by mentioning how good-looking they are. The only part of him accurate to a real teenager, I guess. Gross.
The one character I did like was Mott. He was the only potential POC in the book (mentioned as "dark-skinned"), and he was one of the smartest and most reasonable characters. He was also not treated any differently due to having darker skin in this fictional world, hooray.
Overall, good book for middle-grade readers. Not so sure I would recommend it to adults.
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Torture
Minor: Confinement, Violence, Grief, and Death of parent