anxieteaandbiscuits12'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
5.0
Graphic: Racism, Blood, Classism, Colonisation, Death, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Violence, Racial slurs, War, and Slavery
Moderate: Murder, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, and Torture
Minor: Death of parent
thebankofbooks's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Grief, Racism, War, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Toxic friendship, Violence, Death of parent, Death, Gaslighting, Genocide, Hate crime, Misogyny, Murder, and Suicide
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Sexual assault, and Torture
jelliestars's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Graphic: Xenophobia, Violence, Toxic friendship, Suicide, Racism, Cultural appropriation, Death, Blood, Death of parent, Torture, Colonisation, Gun violence, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Sexism, Murder, and Misogyny
Moderate: Gore, Torture, Child abuse, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, Alcoholism, Classism, Drug abuse, Sexual harassment, Terminal illness, War, and Addiction
Minor: Child death, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Religious bigotry, Kidnapping, Medical content, Pandemic/Epidemic, Trafficking, Car accident, Genocide, Infidelity, Islamophobia, Vomit, Confinement, Cursing, Forced institutionalization, Alcoholism, and Panic attacks/disorders
scmiller's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.5
Graphic: Blood, Colonisation, Confinement, Physical abuse, Racism, Police brutality, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Torture, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Child abuse, Classism, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Racial slurs, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Xenophobia, War, Toxic friendship, and Trafficking
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Pregnancy, Drug use, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Addiction, Infidelity, Confinement, Cultural appropriation, Deportation, Drug abuse, and Vomit
griffin_7's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Racial slurs, Sexual harassment, Violence, Xenophobia, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cultural appropriation, Death, Misogyny, Murder, Toxic friendship, War, Abandonment, Classism, Confinement, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Vomit, Hate crime, Racism, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Colonisation, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Deportation, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Genocide, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Suicide attempt, and Forced institutionalization
kimberlystone's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
It also saw something in me that needed to be seen. It was simply so incredible, in the way it handled the personal and structural ways colonialism, racism, and misogyny affected those in the 1800s. Beautiful and terrible, I think everyone needs to read this book. Every sentence felt like it was meant to be there, and these difficult topics were spoken into existence with such nuance I was left awe-struck. Required reading.
P.S. I’ve noticed many readers felt they didn’t connect with the characters, and with that I can honestly understand, but still respectfully disagree. I understand where someone might be coming from by saying we didn’t get enough personal interactions between the characters, but I personally felt that these “montage” scenes were meant to convey how easily one could become part of the system, enjoy its benefits while forgetting where all their riches and pleasures came from…all while under the illusion that their academic pursuits were the backbone of their infrastructure.
SPOILERS BELOW:
Spoiler
Letty’s character was exceptional. I’ve never seen a better characterization of a self-victimized white woman. She simultaneously struggles with the horribly misogynist nature of her culture, and the fact that she cannot see beyond her whiteness. She cannot accept that Victoire is black, cannot accept the shame of Ramy rejecting her. And therefore she ultimately decided to protect what power she had in her whiteness and deny the humanity in her friends. Fantastic.Graphic: Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Classism, Death, Grief, Xenophobia, Colonisation, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Classism and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Gore, Toxic friendship, and Torture
Read trigger warnings before reading of course, but know that nothing here is included for simple shock factor like other books I’ve read.signeskov's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Death, Cultural appropriation, Classism, Xenophobia, Toxic friendship, Torture, Misogyny, Colonisation, Child abuse, Blood, Sexism, Racial slurs, Islamophobia, Forced institutionalization, Sexual harassment, Grief, Racism, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, and Addiction
Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic, Slavery, and War
nialiversuch'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: Abandonment, Addiction, Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Suicide, Violence, Bullying, Confinement, Misogyny, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Classism, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, War, and Xenophobia
spineofthesaurus's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Child abuse, Blood, Colonisation, Violence, Xenophobia, Classism, Death of parent, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Medical trauma, War, Body horror, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Sexual harassment, Suicide, Torture, Emotional abuse, Murder, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Cultural appropriation, Genocide, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, Homophobia, Mass/school shootings, Misogyny, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Abandonment, Deportation, Islamophobia, Medical content, Slavery, Terminal illness, Ableism, Child death, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Kidnapping, Sexism, and Trafficking
Minor: Excrement, Infidelity, Car accident, Alcoholism, and Addiction
clcwhitaker'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Moderate: Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Slavery, Xenophobia, Forced institutionalization, Misogyny, and Racial slurs