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andmingmingtoo'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: Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, and Suicide attempt
trintrin'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
Okay, let me get the things I didn't like out of the way first:
- There are a lot of unrealistic things like the yakuza, the government/judiciary system/or the lack of it?, Andrew's drugs and how they work, drugs in general tbh, the dialogue at times, that one live TV scene, all the violence, so many things about this made up sport, I could go on.
- Being info dump-y while somehow not dumping any info at all? Focussing on explaining the not-so-important parts (which I actually quite liked), but not properly explaining the things that really matter (which was annoying). I felt like a lot of names just sprang out of nowhere. Bless ebook search function for saving me multiple times.
- WHAT ARE THE RULES OF THIS GODFORSAKEN GAME? How do they play it? Why is it so violent? What is the shape and size of the ball? What is the shape and size of the goal? What is the shape and size of the racquet? How sturdy and how deep is the net, if they're meant to smack AND catch with it? How did it get so popular in such a short time? I can't visualise anything other than the court. Maybe it's the curse being non-American.
- There are quite a few clichés. Be it the personality of the characters, or their behaviour, or the plot.
- The writing did read like a fan fiction at times. I wasn't bothered by it as long as it didn't leave out necessary details and drove me crazy. Just a thing to note.
NOW THAT THAT'S OUT OF THE WAY
AHEM
THIS WAS SO FUN??
Like, I do realise that the way I fell in love at chapter 1 was most definitely due to seeing this series EVERYWHERE and growing fond of the characters before I knew anything about them. And the constant comparison to the sister fandoms that I am actively a part of — I'm talking about Tumblr's Holy Corvid Trinity, of course (Six of Crows, The Raven Cycle, and this one, if you didn't know). Plus, it's character driven + gay + dysfunctional + found family + sports + mafia. I mean, that's right up my alley.
Let's talk about the characters. NEIL JOSTEN, my love. I don't know what it is about him that captivated me from the beginning, but I absolutely adore him, he's my little pookie. Although, he's gotta have to sort his priorities out lmao (bro was more scared of Kevin potentially hating him than getting murdered by his mafia family, I gotta respect that). I hope one day my boy is able to live freely without being paranoid about every little thing.
I know, I listed a lot of gripes I had with Exy, but listen, IT'S A CO-ED SPORT!! I love the girls and I hope we get to see a lot more of them in the upcoming books. Renee Walker, I don't know anything about you, but I love you. Matt is an absolute sweetheart. So is Dan. I wish we got to see more of Allison and Seth. Coach Wymack, what a gigachad. I loved his dynamic with the kids, and loved the way he handles them. I need to see more of Betsy and Abby, as well.
Now moving on to Andrew's lot. For a good majority of the book, I didn't understand how I was supposed to believe that Neil is going to end up being friends — or, uhhh, lovers — with any of these people. Nicky, I have to admit, I didn't like him in the beginning, most definitely hated him in the middle, didn't like him in the end. Aaron is... just there, I guess? I forget he exists half of the time. Kevin reminds me of Rin Itoshi from Blue Lock, so I automatically like him. Andrew, well, sometimes I'm absolutely in love with him, sometimes I don't have an opinion on him, sometimes I flat out don't like him. This roller coaster is perfect to his character to a T, so kudos to that. I can smell the sibling angst coming up, and sibling angsts are always the death of me. Praying for my future self.
Random other things I liked: The last couple of chapters were WILD! I literally couldn't put the book down. A lot of messed up things happened. Almost all of the characters are clinically insane and need therapy. They hate each other, but if you try to hate them, they'll hate you more. All the little things Neil did out of paranoia (sitting in the back of the classroom where no one can approach from behind, or in the middle of the car where he could see both the driver and the passenger). The banter and the chemistry between the Foxes. The way the queer characters were represented. How funny a lot of the scenes were.
It doesn't matter if you like this book, or think it's trash. I think we all can agree that the Moriyamas have a special place in hell. And that chapter 7 was mega messed up.
TL;DR
This book is unhinged and definitely not for everyone. If you are willing to overlook certain aspects and just read for the fun it brings, go ahead. But, I strongly urge everyone to look up the content warnings before proceeding.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Ableism, Rape, Self harm, Suicide, Vomit, and Acephobia/Arophobia
I strongly urge everyone to take the content warning seriously as the book covers pretty dark topics. Additional tags include: Explicit descriptions of spiking drinks proceeded by non-consented kissing, rape jokes, overdosing, traumatic childhoods for almost all the characters.julee_melii's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Addiction, Drug use, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Violence, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Moderate: Death, Homophobia, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Blood and Suicide attempt
amoonymess'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
4.25
Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Medical content, Stalking, Car accident, and Death of parent
Minor: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Medical trauma, Stalking, Car accident, Outing, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment
soulsafire's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Blood, Death of parent, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
convalaria98'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
personally: 5☆
If you haven't read this book before, pay attention to the trigger warning for the series.
You'll probably love this series if you like sports anime or soap operas. Nothing about the plot is realistic, but it sure is engaging. The characters are all deeply flawed, yet written in a way that humanizes them.
Would recommend if you like your books full of bat-shit-insane drama and flawed (but relatable) character.
Would not recommend if youre looking for a serious book or beautiful prose.
Graphic: Drug use, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Moderate: Addiction, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
"moderate" tag are things mentioned, but not in great detail OR content later in the seriesnorarenate'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: Addiction, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
bookishstevie's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
riv_erb'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? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Drug use, Self harm, Violence, and Alcohol
Moderate: Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Gun violence, Homophobia, Forced institutionalization, Blood, and Death of parent
emintobooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I struggled with this one. I've wanted to read this series since it originally came out. Every few months, I'll put it on my to do list and just... not, because it's a bad habit I have. I recently saw a post online about it and got the e-book because it was on sale for free. Well. I'm glad I finally checked it off my to do list, but I won't be reading the others. This was a hot mess and not in a fun way.
I sent this message to my friend about it "This book is very 'this boy squad is edgy and dark. Their past is strewn with violence and drugs. Cigarettes are hot' " I stand by that, and on top of it, it was confusing. The whole time, I couldn't figure out what was going on. I felt like I was reading a prologue, and like I was expected to already know the characters. All of the main characters are different shades of the same color. They didn't feel distinct from each other. Honestly, they're all insufferable, and I found myself wondering if we were actually supposed to like them. The plot was very vague, and there are some major parts of the main character that are never explained, again, as if we should already know. When I reached the end of the book, there was a list of characters and what their roles are. Sure could have used that at the beginning.
Other issues: The characters are violent drug users, and that can totally have merit in a book. Here, it felt like there was no rhyme or reason for the violence or drug use.
[Spoiler] There also was a scene where one of the characters spikes the main character's drink. While he is drugged, another character forcefully kisses him without consent. When he tries to escape, the character does it again. Books can't always be roses and sunshine, but this was totally glossed over. We never even find out how the main character feels about this assault and drugging. [/Spoiler]
The story also involves a made up for the book sport, called Exy. Unlike other books I've read with made up sports, this really didn't explain the sport. By page 66, I know the game is called Exy, a racket is used, a court is played on, and offense and defense are terms used. There is a ball, but I don't know what size, shape, or color. I have no idea how the game is played. When the characters are practicing I have no clue what they are doing. Later, there is a game of Exy that goes on for pages, and I had *zero clue* what was happening. None. I didn't understand at all and couldn't wrap my brain around who was where and doing what and what is the goal of the game? Can you score? How do you win? What do the balls look like? ????
[Spoiler] There also is a scene where two of the characters are on a talk show and the dialogue was just... I had to suspend my disbelief for the thousandth time. [/Spoiler]
This book could have used a heavy dose of professional editing, though I suppose it's too late for that.
Graphic: Ableism, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Blood, and Death of parent
Moderate: Domestic abuse