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rowanrelph's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Alcoholism, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
torturedreadersdept's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Homophobia, Infidelity, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Classism
theirgracegrace's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Moderate: Blood, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Police brutality, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment
While the book itself does not handle transphobia and related topics, a particular reveal late in the book comes across as transphobic on the part of the author.kindra_demi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
I do appreciate a slow paced book, but there are points where it is so slow that I put it down and didn't pick it up for a couple weeks. There are 4 different pov:
- The Rat: her point of view doesn't really matter until the end of the book though you did get to see her grow with it starting in her pov and ending in it.
-Léo (in the past. His journal from when he attended school): probably the pov where you see the most growth. It was typically the only pov I looked forward to because it actually built the story.
-Léo (present day): a man who is so self absorbed he can't see 2 inches past his nose
-Magister Ludi: One of the heads of the school Léo attended/was forced to return to. And don't forget that SHE must do it alone because SHE is a WOMAN and SHE is going to be the future of the Grand Jeu because women aren't allowed to play but SHE worked for it. Did I mention that the Magister Ludi is a woman? This pov gave me "written by a man" energy. It felt like there wasn't an understanding of being a woman actually, but every time this pov came up, it was overly emphasized.
I don't know if it should be called miscommunication, but that is about the closest thing to describe this whole background of the problem in the book. One character was purposely left in the dark by another. Another character took their understanding of Léo's journal and ran with it in a total opposite direction than the original meaning. It's a journal but in this character's mind, they could have been purposely misleading (like the purpose of a journal is for other people to read).
I know Bridget Collins has another book, and I've seen good reviews for it, but I don't have hopes for it and won't be picking it up any time soon after this book.
Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Murder
Moderate: Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, and Alcohol
Minor: Sexual content
katherinehamilton'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
4.0
Minor: Animal death, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Mental illness, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Murder
lilacsophie's review against another edition
4.25
Graphic: Bullying, Mental illness, Misogyny, Violence, Blood, Vomit, and Murder
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, Suicide, Police brutality, Grief, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Death of parent