aravenclawlibraryx'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
4.0
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Blood, Car accident, Murder, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Violence, Death, Gaslighting, Grief, Confinement, Death of parent, Infidelity, Medical trauma, Medical content, Suicide, and Torture
thebookpaiges'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? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Murder, Pregnancy, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Suicide, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Sexual content and Blood
ashleycmms'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? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Car accident, Death, Death of parent, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Toxic relationship, Torture, Suicide, Stalking, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Medical trauma, Medical content, Abandonment, and Body horror
Moderate: Pregnancy, Infidelity, and Grief
laguerrelewis'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
4.0
Graphic: Blood, Car accident, Infidelity, Medical content, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Pregnancy, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, and Sexual content
onemamareads'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? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death, Murder, Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, Car accident, Violence, Torture, Medical content, Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Stalking, Pregnancy, Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment, Blood, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Grief, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Addiction and Death of parent
Minor: Fire/Fire injury and War
sarah2438's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Courtney Summers does an incredible job with her writing. Lev's charisma comes through even to the reader-- I felt Lo's skepticism of him going in, and I found myself getting won over at times. I even remember turning to my boyfriend, who buddy read this with me, and saying "he has to have done something sketchy, but honestly he doesn't seem too bad at this point." I was over halfway through the book when I said that! It's very uncomfortable to think about.
Just as disturbing as Lev's charisma is how realistic and twisted this book is. Lev preys upon those with trauma, grief, and pain. He offers them relief. A cause. And they flock to him, just like they would in real life.
Unfortunately, this book wasn't prefect. I think when it comes down to it, there are 3 big things that keep me from totally loving this book. These issues don't all carry the same weight for me, and I'm sure there's plenty of people who would disagree, but here are my 3:
1- I struggled to understand the religion The Unity Project was centered around. Lev's charisma, I totally fell for. But the actual religious tenants were a struggle. I think this is partially attributable to my own lack of faith; it may have required more of a suspension of belief for me than maybe someone who believes in God. I found myself parallel to Lo in this aspect.
2- Something happens about 75% of the way through that didn't feel right to me. It was like a shaky bridge-- it connected the two parts and got us where we needed to go, but I didn't feel sold on it.
3- I didn't love the ending. Summers usually does a good job of having just enough unanswered questions to be realistic, since we're not reading from an omniscient point of view, but still satisfying. In this one, I felt like there were too many questions left open, so the ending wasn't very satisfying for me. I wanted more detail, more information on what happened to everyone.
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Pregnancy
Minor: Child abuse, Blood, and Confinement
morganperks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Torture, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Suicide, Grief, Death, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, Child abuse, Violence, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Body horror, Religious bigotry, Adult/minor relationship, Abandonment, Blood, Stalking, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Infidelity, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, and Rape
libraryghost'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
3.5
Graphic: Abandonment, Car accident, Death of parent, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Suicide, Torture, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Blood
melaniereadsbooks'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
4.5
This was a very high-intensity thriller. This deals with some really tricky subjects, and does a good job expressing the feelings of loss, grief, and loneliness that are preyed upon by Lev and his cult. Though I can't really say I liked the characters, I did enjoy reading about them, and I was on the metaphorical edge of my seat while racing through this book! I really enjoyed the way this ended, as well. I'm definitely scoping out this author's other books to read.
Graphic: Blood, Car accident, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Kidnapping, Medical content, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Stalking, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Pregnancy
bookish_owl's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
Graphic: Torture, Physical abuse, and Blood
Moderate: Murder, Grief, Confinement, and Car accident
Minor: Death of parent