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risaleel's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Misogyny, Violence, Blood, Medical trauma, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cursing, Racism, Suicide, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Classism
Minor: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, and Colonisation
dokushoka'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? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Torture
Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Blood
bookishaddy'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
Graphic: Addiction, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Alcohol
laurenkimoto's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
nicolescottwv'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, and Murder
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Blood
slowandsteadybooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Medical content, and Sexual harassment
queenstaves's review against another edition
Graphic: Drug abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, and Toxic friendship
The author uses rape, date rape, sexual assault, sexual trauma, etc. in a way that reads as trauma being a character flaw/trait instead of a part of an emotional arc. It is used in a way that reads as "edgy flavor" and not the horrifying things they are. They are used to position the protagonist as an edgy savior. She "gets revenge" for women being date raped by forcing the men to eat shit (literally), and it's used as this "I really showed them!" kind of moment. It is a gross use of the content.antjeliest'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
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Classism
Moderate: Cursing, Drug abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexism, Excrement, Medical content, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cancer, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Vomit, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
findmeinunderland'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
First of all the cover is just so aesthetically pleasing, even more so after actually falling in love with the characters…
I kind of equate it to being about Alex’s tattoos. Alex’s most prominent tattoos are the snakes that wrap around her collar bones, and I feel like they would be the epitome of her shame when it comes to her tattoos, it’s the most blatant in the macabre nature of the art on her body, spider webs are a more common choice, other things could be given an alternative explanation of importance, but not many people, especially those within the stereotypes of ivy league alumnus, have two huge black snakes curling around their shoulders. I love the symbolism of it being on the cover of the book because Alex used the stereotypes of her outward appearance to avoid attachment, when given the opportunity to flee her environment she covers them as a way of separating herself from the memories she had of being ostracized. Her tattoos later become a different kind of cover, an armor.
I even saw some people say Bardugo tried to hard to be dark in her content by making Alex’s trauma explicit but failed to give the character any justice, but my response is that the entire present day timeline is Alex’s justice…. Alex was abused and violated by something the most privileged people she knew saw as a gift. It is a widely known horrible part of our reality that the world doesn’t believe or protect victims, it doesn’t protect women. The fact that so many people saw her trauma even if she didn’t want them to and completely wrote her off so they didn’t have to deal with what it meant, is the most realistic part of her character. She was poor, a woman of color, homeless at more than one point in her life…I can think of nothing more realistic that her not getting feasible, malleable justice. But to say she got none at all would be wrong, Alex’s justice was cosmic and metaphorically and more meaningful than some get in the real world, she gained a different sense of self worth imprinting herself onto Tara’s circumstances, fighting to find out what happened to tara meant acknowledging that she and Alex were one in the same— at least in The sense that the world values them the same, she became attached to Tara because she saw herself in a dead body that no one else seemed to care about and couldn’t help but imprint on that experience. Alex knew the world valued her and Tara the same, she saw the parallels between Tara and herself and yet she still came to the conclusion that Tara deserved better than what she got in death, and in life. Those thoughts are more kind than Alex was to herself on a normal basis, and maybe they wouldn’t have meant anything if Alex wasn’t the narrator but she was, she was the one aligning their value, and ultimately accepting that she deserved better than what she got out of life…Alex’s justice was aligning her value with every victim belbam took and saying that they all deserved better.
Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Stalking, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
egurgens'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
I definitely recommend reading this book, but be warned there are several difficult topics. Drug use, sexual assault, graphic death, bullying, and more. However, the cast of characters is pretty diverse; not perfect, but definitely better than other books I have read. The magic is pretty realistic, as its use is modern, and takes place in the modern world. No hidden world, just a secret society of magic users, that can use it for good or bad.
So many plot twists, you end up hanging onto every word. Friends are enemies, enemies are your greatest allies. No one is who you think they are. Bardugo does POV and time changes well, as each is labelled at the beginning of the chapter. Highly recommend reading this book. Realistic fantasy, secret societies, magic, ghosts, monsters, just so many good things.
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Cancer, Gun violence, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Alcohol