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jaimc's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Terminal illness, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, Grief, and Colonisation
Minor: Suicide
themoodreader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Blood, and Classism
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gore, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic
typedtruths'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? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, and Classism
greymalkin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
And ugh, Grey. What a boring cardboard "love interest". They had zero chemistry such that I kept being surprised at the very awkwardly forced kissing scenes. It's like watching total strangers kissing on a Kiss Cam, they are only doing it because someone outside of themselves (the author in this case) told them they had to. He had no personality of his own except to be a doormat for other people (Tomus and then the Professor and then Nedra). All of his sections were completely unnecessary, they added nothing to the story and he turned out to be completely irrelevant to the way things ended. You could remove him entirely and nothing would change. I know some reviews have noted that at least his sections showed how Nedra looked to other people, and I get that as a device but it wasn't necessary. Nedra herself commented on people's reactions and actually was judgmental and arrogant about those other people's choices up until she had to make the same choices herself and then it was like "but for ME it's okay".
Honestly I cared 1000x more about Ronan, the kind nurse at the quarantine hospital, and Nedra's father than I did about any of the main or major characters characters. If the book had been about Nedra's father gathering up evidence of the spreading plague and doing what he could to help keep those villages from total isolation, with little snippets about Nedra via letters she sent home, that could have been an amazing book, imho!
So yeah, some solid basic fantasy worldbuilding and some reasonable plot twists at the end, but overall disappointing.
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Bullying and Classism
ka_ke'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? No
4.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Bullying, Genocide, Gore, Murder, and Colonisation
Minor: Religious bigotry
jenna36's review
- 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
I thought I knew what was going to happen in the end but I definitely did not! It really elevates the reading experience when a book can surprise me like that.
I went into this thinking it was going to be a romance. There are definitely romantic elements, but I would say they are the weaker part of the book. However, I think that is the point; things get so dark and emotional that the idea of romance seems silly and out of place by the end. I actually hope that Nedra ends up alone at the end of the duology. Not in a bad way, but in an independent and freeing sort of way.
This absolutely would have been 5 stars if a certain subplot regarding the wealthy students had been explored a bit more. I am still a little but confused about what all that was about, but I have faith that I will find out in the next book.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Medical content, and Death of parent
bookishkenzie'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
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Blood, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Violence, and Medical content
Minor: Confinement, Gun violence, and Fire/Fire injury
booksnbones13's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, and Grief
Moderate: Child death, Blood, Medical content, and Death of parent