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fivecatsinacoat'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
2.5
To be honest, this one wasn't for me. I didn't feel any connection between the two characters and the side characters felt very one-dimensional. I even found myself skipping through the spicy scenes (which weren't all that spicy) because they didn't have the connection and there was no tension.
Graphic: Bullying, Deadnaming, Gun violence, Sexual content, Transphobia, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Child death, Death, Fatphobia, Medical content, Grief, and Murder
laheath'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
3.5
Graphic: Sexual content and Classism
Minor: Body shaming, Cursing, Gun violence, Physical abuse, and Fire/Fire injury
dexkit10'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: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Transphobia
Moderate: Cursing, Violence, and Fire/Fire injury
eamily's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Toxic friendship, and Classism
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Deadnaming, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Dysphoria
Minor: Animal death, Chronic illness, Death, Eating disorder, Infertility, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Blood, Medical content, Murder, Pregnancy, Outing, and Injury/Injury detail
allisonwonderlandreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
Unfortunately, I had three major areas of concern regarding this book, which I've organized from least to most heinous. For one, protagonist Violet has friends that maneuver her for the betterment of their scientific society and to fit their ideal of what's best for her. There's no open communication or support freely given outside of scientific discovery. Her childhood friend is also seeking engagement with her to protect Violet from the way she embarrasses herself in society, which is terribly demeaning. The fact he intends to get a lot of benefits out of the match removes any shine of altruism. I can see groundwork for personal growth in these side characters' own forthcoming stories in the series, but it comes at the expense of anything likable in the present. While Violet's deceased husband is the major force behind her low self-esteem, I can't help but feel that all her so-called friends are chipping away at it, as well, with the way they try to handle her like some self-sabotaging, ticking time bomb.
Let's take things up a notch. Despite Violet and her society's supposed enlightenment, there are a lot of weirdly snide, classist remarks at odds with Violet's familial relationships with her staff. Violet admits to never considering her privilege before, and there is no further conversation after this epiphany. The author's messaging gets further tangled by setting up a group of political activists as villains. Somehow, the labor movement has gas weapons they are using on police. *take a moment for your shock* The complete upside-downness of the premise really took me aback. To make things worse, there's a feeble proclamation about kindness and patience at the end aimed at social change that made me incredibly sad.
The final point is about what I expect are good intentions to include a trans character gone disastrously awry. Our trans character is Henry, a footman working for Violet. His gender identity is revealed to the readers during Arthur's investigation of the villainous labor activists, when Arthur deadnames him to get a reaction mid-interrogation. If that weren't bad enough, we are forced to see Henry confront the brother who doesn't accept him on-page, a brother who uses the wrong pronouns and identifiers and tries to emotionally manipulate him into not presenting as his true self. Arthur muses that if his younger sister had "made the same choice," he would have been "conflicted" but not abandoned her. I hate this messaging about choice in regards to queerness and the centering of Arthur's feelings as if he gets to have an opinion. Also, not abandoning someone is the lowest possible bar for love and devotion, far off from full support and respect. Henry's feelings and experiences are not addressed with any depth, nor is he offered any happy plotline aside from enjoying his place of employment. His trauma reads like a plot device that furthers the villain's motivations and our cis straight couple's love story.
I'm a bit shell-shocked by what a major bummer this book was, and I'm disappointed at the hype.
Graphic: Deadnaming, Sexual content, and Transphobia
Moderate: Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Sexism, Abandonment, and Classism
Minor: Gun violence, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Racism, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
summerslittlelibrary's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
0.5
Graphic: Child death, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Transphobia, Violence, Police brutality, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, and Classism