tashadandelion's review
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
NOTE TO SELF: stop reading YA. With one exception: you can read it if it has staying power--if reviewers you trust and respect are still remarking on its remarkableness over a year later. But new YA? Give it a pass, because the chances are high it's not for you. /End NOTE TO SELF. I'm flat-out getting too old in years and life experience to enjoy anything remotely twee, and this book has twee in spades. To be fair, it also has a healthy dose of scary and unpleasant things in it too, which I call out in the content warnings. If I were 14-25, this book would probably appeal to me a lot more, but I'm a long, long way from that age range. So really, though I struggled to complete this book without skimming due to repetitive and overly-expressive, romantic dialogue and an all-over-the-place plot, I do have to give credit for the nice twist towards the end, where our heroes encounter some people they admire (keeping it vague to avoid spoilers).
Content Warnings
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Confinement, Genocide, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Slavery, Violence, and Vomit
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