annabananadel's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
“What is a person, if not the marks they leave behind?”
The beginning to the middle was so slow it took me weeks to get through it - not that I was bored but for some reason, I always get sleepy. It was pretty much text heavy so in return, my eyes was also heavy. Not that it stopped me from continuing the story. It was indeed very interesting but there were alot of small details that could have been left out (that’s what I thought at first).
After the middle mark, I was hooked. I’ve brought the book everywhere I go in case I have time for a read because I wanted to know how it goes. Would Addie and Henry have a happy ending or what? You just have to keep reading it. She told stories of the past and how she got thru them all - including the war too. What really shocked me was the love story between Addie and Luc because that was a fast ball I did not see coming. But after getting past that, I realized that it was going there and I was just blinded by Henry.
The ending though. Addie, you stubborn girl. I’d love to be like you one day.
(I love love love how this really feel like it was written by Addie herself.)
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Torture
Moderate: Suicide attempt and War
Minor: Sexual assault and Drug use
myleejmiller'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 could say so much more, and explain how much a story like this means to a person (of many flaws) like me, but I will simply end with this: Thank you. Thanks to V.E Schwab, the book itself, the agent who took it on, the publisher who printed it, and the readers who praised it so highly. You have made, altogether, an unforgettable tale of change, hope, and devastation. Thank you, from a reader who is just beginning to understand the impact a story can have.
Graphic: War, Violence, Blood, Cancer, Cursing, Death of parent, Torture, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Drug use, Alcohol, and Death
kaziaroo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
But then Henry appeared. I honestly think I would have enjoyed the book more if I'd just skipped Henry's chapters. The story would have mostly made sense without them and I would have those hours of my life back. Although I related to some of his struggles with choosing his career path and specialism, and his situation is also sad, Henry's chapters were just boring. He mopes around all day and whenever he feels a little worse he just downs a mixture of drugs with gay abandon and no consequences the next day. His and Addie's "love" was totally unconvincing; compared to the other lovers we see her meet, Henry is by far the most dull and she only likes him so much because he remembers her. She becomes the only interesting thing about him.
I wish the book had either explored the world and history a bit more or been a couple of hundred pages shorter. I had no interest in watching Addie and Henry having nice days out and going to endless bars and clubs, or sleeping with everyone they meet. The flowery writing desperately tried to make me fall in love with the characters and settings, but it was all style over substance. My overall feeling about this book is disappointment after the hype.
I would recommend this to fans of Matt Haig's "How to Stop Time" and who want nice, deep-sounding quotes to put in their Instagram captions.
TL;DR: it was well executed for what it was but the writing was flowery, the male lead boring, the female lead unadventurous, and there was too much sex, drugs and rock & roll for my tastes.
Graphic: Mental illness, Death of parent, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Drug use, Alcohol, Death, and Sexual content
Moderate: Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, and Stalking
Minor: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Torture, Violence, Infidelity, War, and Vomit
kyleighf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, and Torture
sarahbiegelsen's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Grief, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Torture, Confinement, Suicide attempt, and Death
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Cancer, War, Alcohol, Blood, and Death of parent
nikinem's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Torture
Minor: War
parfait52'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
If you enjoy reading gorgeous, languid writing that feels almost burdensome at times, with some insightful peeks into the mind of an unfortunate soul, this is the book for you. If you enjoy a clear plot with characters that are revealed through actions instead of long ramblings, this is not the book for you. Ultimately, I am glad that I read this book but I probably wouldn't want to do it again. Kind of like life itself.
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Sexual content, Grief, Alcohol, Drug use, War, Death, Abandonment, and Stalking
Minor: Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Torture, Confinement, and Cursing
avie_j's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Sexual content
Moderate: Misogyny and Gaslighting
Minor: Rape, Sexual violence, War, and Sexism
bentobookdragon11's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Sexual content and Cursing
Moderate: Alcohol, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, and Addiction
Minor: Toxic relationship, War, Death, Torture, and Blood
*the darkness/devil/LOWER CASE G god*limewheel's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
My only pitfall with this book has to delve into spoilers, so read at your own risk.
Spoiler
The romance and love triangle was corny at best, and teetering on infuriating at worst. It wasn't Henry that was the problem—his and Addie's relationship actually seemed like a natural progression of the story—but rather Luc and Addie's "relationship". It came out of nowhere and seemed annoyingly out of character for Luc. Sure, he'd been trying to whittle down Addie for centuries before, but that was entirely out of spite. Spite is the very basis of their relationship: Addie wants to live forever to prove Luc wrong, and Luc wants her to give up to prove Addie wrong. In any other book, this might make sense for it to take a romantic turn, and I don't even blame Addie for developing feelings towards him because she's human, but the difference is that he's not. Luc is a god with innumerable souls to reap and even more waiting to make deals with him. Why is Addie so special? At the end of the book, she says that she'd spent 300 years learning the ins and outs of his behavior, and that he'd learned nothing of her in that same time, so why did he want her so bad? For having this love triangle between Henry and Addie and Luc take up, like, 1/3 of the book, it was more than enough to taint my enjoyment.The characters were alright, but most fell flat, even the main few. Addie, of course is wonderfully fleshed out, because, after all, this book is about her invisible life. But I just grew bored with the other two, Henry and Luc. Henry, specifically, I became frustrated with because I want to like his character so bad, but everything about him is just so... insignificant. And that's a big problem for a main character. I truly could not care about his struggles because he's a poorly written coward who wallowed in pity . Now, I have nothing against cowards, or characters who wallow in pity, but being poorly written is where I draw the line. Next to nothing happens with his development for almost the entirety of the book, except that he falls in love, and even that barely changes him. His problems had been solved before he and Addie crossed paths and that's probably what made him so stagnant to me. On the opposite side of the spectrum, Luc, well, he was just a not not evil guy whose only purpose was apparently to torment Addie sometimes. Kinda boring and kinda predictable, but I can barely fault him for it because he is a nonhuman god, and they tend to be like that. Whatever.
There's not much else for me to say about this book. I loved Addie and her circumstances, but everything else was pushed to the sidelines. That about sums up why this is rated 3.25.
Graphic: Torture and Violence
Moderate: Sexual content, Mental illness, and Drug use
Minor: Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, and Injury/Injury detail