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daniquevdijk_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Blood, and Death of parent
Moderate: Chronic illness, Infidelity, Rape, Terminal illness, Kidnapping, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Murder, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
bookswithlauren'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
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail
joyfulfoodie'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
4.5
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Mental illness, Self harm, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, and Classism
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, and Alcohol
sweetchocolatez's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Chronic illness, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Torture, Car accident, Murder, Alcohol, and Classism
Minor: Cursing, Death, Grief, Stalking, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and War
zoeelora's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
elskabee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
This is my first time rereading this book in over ten years and I liked it more than I was worried. I can't say it has aged amazingly, but most of the difficult topics (self-harm and depression, age gap crushes) are dealt with in a way that never glamourises or romanticises and even has some good healthy takeaways by the end. I do however wish that conversations around slut-shaming and bullying were handled a bit better. The former simply had a messy message and seemed to contradict itself, the latter not seriously acknowledged despite how prominent the bullying/school drama plotlines are throughout.
The writing style is very simple and easy to read which is fine, but older readers might find it a bit lacking. I found the multiple plot elements enough to hold interest. The school politics wore on me a bit, whereas the journey Rose goes on to learn to be more responsible and trust people around her was well done imo. I also really enjoyed the worldbuilding of the vampire society and how the school is run. I think the author put a lot of thought into the position each character in the book has in society and how that affects their choices and how they treat others. Most of the time they treat each other poorly! but societal pressure and petty teenage angst create a pressure cooker environment in the school that is palpable. Rose in particular is mean to almost everyone except Lissa, which is acknowledged in the book and honestly just made me like Rose more. Give me petty teenage characters that get angry and mess up (Not perfect and bland protags that have no room for growth)
Anyway, this book despite its length has a lot going on and although it is very much a vampire YA book published in 2007, I did enjoy my time reading it!
Graphic: Animal death and Self harm
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Mental illness, Blood, and Kidnapping
Minor: Terminal illness, Death of parent, and Alcohol
The adult/minor relationship is between a 17 year old and a 25 year old. He is her mentor and never pressures her and in fact actively avoids pursuing her. The minor doesn't spend much time pursuing him but does think about her attraction to him and internally acknowledges that the relationship probably shouldn't happen due to the age gap between them. Near the end of the bookthe_escapist'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? It's complicated
3.75
Moderate: Bullying, Mental illness, Self harm, Blood, Kidnapping, Car accident, and Classism
Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Alcohol
sarahsbookss'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
4.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Torture, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
madalynmiles's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Blood
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Kidnapping
Minor: Bullying, Abortion, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
valenpolack's review against another edition
4.75
Somehow these books hold up even though they are almost as old as me.
I think this story is very mature and nicely handled for the time it came out.
The age gap between the main love interests didn't bother me as much as other stories because of how well it was handled. The characters new it was wrong, and they make the right decisions in the end.
I also really liked how it didn't shy away from the topic of depression and self harm; and that sometimes medication and therapy really is the best way to cope with it.
I just wish we wouldn't have been stuck in Rose's head.
I would have liked to see more of Christian and Lissa's interactions to really buy into their relationship.
[ I love Mason and he deserves the world. ]
Im really excited to continue with this series and see where the story takes me next.
Graphic: Death, Gore, Mental illness, Self harm, and Blood
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Car accident, and Death of parent
Minor: Chronic illness, Infertility, and Alcohol