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kr1stintin'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
4.25
Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Violence, and Trafficking
woweewhoa's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Trafficking, and Death of parent
Moderate: Pedophilia
franksreads'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
4.5
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Incest, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Classism
cmbohn'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
4.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Rape, Slavery, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Incest, Infertility, Racial slurs, Racism, and Vomit
Minor: Pregnancy
pineapple919'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
As you learn who MC is, you learn who she was and how she came to be.
The author explores topics like rape, genocide, slavery juxtaposed against love, family, justice, and forgiveness. I was crying at the end.
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Racial slurs and Racism
Minor: Infertility, Medical content, and Pregnancy
ester_ku'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
4.5
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Genocide, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Blood, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Infertility, and Racism
vcoutant's review against another edition
4.0
Great, complex main characters
Especially loved the audiobook, the difference in diction between before and after
Graphic: Genocide, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, and Trafficking
Moderate: Child death, Gun violence, Incest, Kidnapping, and Death of parent
Minor: Racial slurs and Racism
rinku'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? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Infertility, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, Torture, and Vomit
Minor: Pregnancy
mamaofperfectpayton'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
4.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Gun violence, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Sexual harassment
minayana'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
3.0
The Pros
The characters:
I really liked the cast of characters (minus the villains obviously). I loved reading about Nena being accepted into her new family during the “before” chapters, and then Nina taking Georgia under her wing during the “after” chapters.
The storytelling format:
I really enjoyed how the book consistently went back and forth between her backstory and present time, and it created a stark contrast between her life “before” and “after”. Although I love a good backstory reveal, sometimes it’s nice to know from the beginning. This was also a downfall for the book as well. The “before” chapters are brutal and very descriptive, and after all the emotions and despair of those chapters, sometimes the “after” chapters feel boring and don’t bring any emotional impact.
The narrator!
She did a wonderful job, and I especially enjoyed the subtle distinction between when she is voicing a male or female character. Sometimes narrators tend to do too much when voicing the opposite sex, but I thought she did great.
The Cons
Overdramatic writing:
It felt like there was some type of analogy or simile every sentence. Obviously that is a major part of writing as a whole, but for some reason they stood out every time and took me out of the story quite a lot.
Insta-love:
I am usually 50/50 on insta-love, it really depends on how it’s done. Nena deciding she felt an ease with the MMC (can’t remember his name) that she’d never felt before with a man was VERY sudden. I don’t think she even had a full conversation with him before she felt comfortable with him, and for her backstory and her own thoughts stating she’s never felt this way with a man before, it was extremely abrupt.
Overall, if you are considering reading this book I would say give it a shot if you can stomach the contents. It has really heartbreaking themes, which at some points go into pretty graphic detail.
Graphic: Genocide, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Violence, and Trafficking