lilifane's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I just learned that this is a lesbian Macbeth retelling.
Yeah, I didn't recognize it. But a lot makes more sense now.
Although I liked how many queer characters there were, I really didn't like anyone. They were all annoying and their relationships weren't very believable. I was really confused if anyone actually liked anyone.
But I did really enjoy the spooky parts of the story. Those were written really well (compared to the rest of the book) and unsettling. So I liked it as a queer teenie ghost story. And I wish we got more ghosty scenes and more information on all those school mysteries.
Yeah, I didn't recognize it. But a lot makes more sense now.
Although I liked how many queer characters there were, I really didn't like anyone. They were all annoying and their relationships weren't very believable. I was really confused if anyone actually liked anyone.
But I did really enjoy the spooky parts of the story. Those were written really well (compared to the rest of the book) and unsettling. So I liked it as a queer teenie ghost story. And I wish we got more ghosty scenes and more information on all those school mysteries.
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Death, Toxic friendship, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Slavery
sarah984's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This is a YA retelling of Macbeth set in a prestigious private high school. I was really impressed with the ways that the author managed to tie Macbeth into the modern-day setting (though naming the football field Dunsinane was a bit much), and some of the scares with the ghosts were great.
However, most of the characters were pretty shallow (they definitely felt like identities first and characters second), the plantation stuff felt unnecessary since nothing was ever really done with it, and the ending was kind of silly. Also, this may be shallow but the main character Maria was called "Ree" by all her friends and it really annoyed me. What kind of nickname is that? Who would use that to shorten Maria??
However, most of the characters were pretty shallow (they definitely felt like identities first and characters second), the plantation stuff felt unnecessary since nothing was ever really done with it, and the ending was kind of silly. Also, this may be shallow but the main character Maria was called "Ree" by all her friends and it really annoyed me. What kind of nickname is that? Who would use that to shorten Maria??
Graphic: Ableism, Blood, Biphobia, Death, Drug abuse, Grief, Homophobia, Medical content, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicide, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Child death and Slavery
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