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theyretakingthehobbits's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Violence and Alcohol
Moderate: Drug abuse
Minor: Homophobia
indigodrag0n's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Suicide, and Murder
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Cursing, Eating disorder, and Homophobia
jeslis's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
- Bit up and down with this one but overall I really got immersed in the events of the book and had a fun time.
- Most of my hangups are around the writing: a bit overt on the themes it was exploring (although very interesting and executed well overall), the inner narrative of the characters felt a bit discordant because of the use of both direct Shakespeare quotes and a more casual writing style alongside each other. In general I also felt some of the quotes lacked depth with their use, they seemed to be put there just because they have the words a character needs to say.
- But I liked the use of the plays themselves! Felt like that tied in better to the character plot lines than when they quote Shakespeare at each other.
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Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Domestic abuse
Minor: Drug use and Homophobia
laguerrelewis's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Addiction, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Eating disorder
Minor: Transphobia
reneeravenlake's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
kamirose1's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Homophobia, Suicide, and Toxic relationship
reading_bunny'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? Yes
4.0
Writing: 5/5
Characters: 3/5
Plot: 4/5
Overall: 4/5
Favourite quote:
"You can justify anything of you do it poetically enough"
- Oliver Marks
Review/my thoughts:
This book took me a long time to read, partially because I went through and looked up every quote they mentioned, but also because the book was dense, the writing wasnt too hard to read through it was just a dense book.
I really enjoyed the story, and I thought it was paced nicely, only revealing informationto the reader as the characters learn about them which lends to the bizzying and disorienting feeling of the narrative.
The characters were all stellar, and Oliver's unreliability as a narrator was at times a little frustrating because I would have loved to learn a little more about the others but Oliver is fairly dismissive of a few if them for whatever his reasons.
The relationship between
Overall, this is not a book that I would re-read but it is one that I would recommend to someone who is very into Shakespeare and/or cannparse it well enough to understand the meaning of the prose, as well as those who are into the Dark academia aesthetic since this book is not only a corner stone of the genre/aesthetic but also because this is a lot like the secret history in its core expects
In the end, an enjoyable experience and I'm glad I gave this book a chance and the time it deserved
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Body shaming, Death, Homophobia, Sexism, Blood, and Murder
Minor: Eating disorder, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
candiemarsh'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? Yes
3.0
Moderate: Death
Minor: Alcoholism, Drug use, Homophobia, Suicide, and Murder
gia0203'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
4.75
This book is not very original. It borrows a lot from existing dark academia, obviously The Secret History being the main one. I do think though that the writing style makes up for its originality. It’s so lively and fun! And the characters too are so interesting and so sympathetic. A new favourite of mine for sure. I loved the twist at the end and the rising hysteria and ugh. Stunning.
On another note… the male characters in this book are very complex and well developed and the female characters are very wooden, particularly Meredith. She faces a lot of misogyny and her character revolves so much around the men in her life. Just something to think about in terms of female representation, especially when written as “competition” in relation to queer men. Not quite sure if this book passes the Beschdel test. If not for this, it would be a 5 star for me.
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Drug abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicide, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Eating disorder, Homophobia, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment
technicallysam's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Violence and Murder
Moderate: Homophobia