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leonormsousa'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? No
4.0
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Racism, Death, Death of parent, Gun violence, Blood, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, and Violence
eetishmeh's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
A great bridge book*!
But a bridge book all the same.
(*Sometimes, 2nd books in series—especially triolgies—tend to drag a little, and act more as a bridge between the 1st and 3rd book than as a book in itself, so I call them bridge books. Not all bridge books are horrible—this one certainly isn't!—but they still don't feel as fulfilling as the 1st or 3rd books.)
I was gonna rate this 4.5 stars then remembered all the Simon and Baz moments and pulled the rating up by 0.25 stars. What can I say—I'm biased.
Here's some thoughts I had while reading:
An excessive amount of vampires. Excellent!
Interesting to know that Simon is the more jealous one...
Started to understand the pop culture references more in this one. I didn't get most of the ones in the 1st book. Probably because I was like 8 when it was published and am neither British nor American
I like how this book addresses the toll our main characters took on after the events of the first book. I didn't really like the plot that much, but it was all right. Also, loving how it started with an epilogue and ended with a prologue! All endings are beginnings, vice versa and all that! Overall a very good read!
Moderate: Violence, Blood, Death, and Animal death
Minor: Death of parent
Please look up warnings for this book before reading! I likely missed a few tagsjulia_snowangel'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? No
3.75
Moderate: Animal death, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, and Death of parent
vaguely_pink'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
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Blood, Cursing, and Gun violence
Moderate: Homophobia, Abandonment, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Grief
Minor: Alcoholism, Car accident, Infidelity, Alcohol, Biphobia, Fatphobia, and Vomit
gentleprocrastination's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, and Mental illness
Moderate: Animal death and Alcohol
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Eating disorder, Medical content, Body horror, Blood, and Death of parent
breadbees'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
5.0
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Gun violence
Moderate: Mental illness, Blood, Grief, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Stalking, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Animal death, Confinement, and Self harm
ekmurray's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I would have liked to understand the problems between Baz and Simon better- e.g. Simon saying he wants to kiss but not be kissed hints that maybe he’s somewhat asexual, or perhaps just not comfortable with physical intimacy yet. But I wonder if there was more to it, which perhaps I missed. I felt like their relationship didn’t progress throughout this book; they had problems at the start and the same ones at the end.
I loved how Agatha contributes to saving herself, but I was disappointed she was kidnapped in the first place. Especially as I felt Agatha deserved to have a bit of a break after the end of the first novel, when she prioritised her own safety and ran.
I was interested to find out how little Baz actually knew about vampires, and how many small student experiences (like choir) were stopped under the Mage. The characters’ worldview is so limited, despite Watford’s supposed emphasis on education. I guess this really illustrates how important pluralism and room for dissent is. I thought their snootiness about having a magical school (while American magicians mainstream) was rather ironic, given their ignorance about so many things.
Minor: Death of parent
manarnia'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? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Blood, Violence, Gore, Kidnapping, Animal death, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, and Gun violence
Moderate: Alcohol and Death
Minor: Death of parent
nyssbomb'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
Moderate: Animal death, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Violence, and Mental illness