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guccishoestrings's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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? Yes
3.75
Wow what a roller coaster of emotions. This book starts off quickly and does not delay getting to the main plot of the book.
The story takes place in what is supposed to be London England where there was an event in time called the slaughter of summer. This was when a bunch of gangs that consisted of teenagers basically had a war that led to many deaths. This in turn led to the creation of the prison called Furnace.
The book starts of as Alex Sawyer (narrator/main character) a 14 year old petty thief is planning is next robbery with is friend Toby. During their robbery they are caught by massive men in black suits that then killed Toby right in front of Alex before framing Alex for the murder. Alex is sentenced to Furnace for the murder and the main story takes off from there.
The Characters: The characters are so good in this book, Alex is an interesting main character who at the start is a horrible human being but is just a 14 year old misguided teen who reflects a lot on who he is. Donovan although tough on the outside is a funny and caring individual who was sentenced to furnace for a reason that I feel a lot of others would do in his position. Zee a small scrawny teen who is what you would consider the comic relief but is a great friend who would die for Alex/Donovan. Then the main antagonists are, Furnace itself with gangs and inhabitants that will kill you if you even smell funny. Warden Cross and Alfred Furnace are the main antagonists of the series but they are not as prevalent until the very end of book 1 and the start of book 2.
The good: The characters, one of the best set of characters of any young adult book. They truly care for each other and in place of a typical romance this series has a bromance which is a nice change that you do not see often in young adult series. The setting is interesting, leading to many questions on what the h*ll is actually going on in the prison. Its violent but not to the point of being overdone, it is a prison full of violent murders and the guards are no different. As the saying goes "F*ck around and find out".
The Bad: The real series does not really take off until some way through book 2 (not really starting till book 3) as this book is mostly there to introduce the cast and what to expect in the future. The main villains are not at all explained or drawn out until later in the series which is not a huge bad but can push people away from the book. Alex is the weakest character out of the main cast as he is very selfish and his thoughts show that. However, He gets better throughout the series.
If you like dark and violent series that have a lot of mystery, check this series out as it is one of the most unique young adult series out there.
The story takes place in what is supposed to be London England where there was an event in time called the slaughter of summer. This was when a bunch of gangs that consisted of teenagers basically had a war that led to many deaths. This in turn led to the creation of the prison called Furnace.
The book starts of as Alex Sawyer (narrator/main character) a 14 year old petty thief is planning is next robbery with is friend Toby. During their robbery they are caught by massive men in black suits that then killed Toby right in front of Alex before framing Alex for the murder. Alex is sentenced to Furnace for the murder and the main story takes off from there.
The Characters: The characters are so good in this book, Alex is an interesting main character who at the start is a horrible human being but is just a 14 year old misguided teen who reflects a lot on who he is. Donovan although tough on the outside is a funny and caring individual who was sentenced to furnace for a reason that I feel a lot of others would do in his position. Zee a small scrawny teen who is what you would consider the comic relief but is a great friend who would die for Alex/Donovan. Then the main antagonists are, Furnace itself with gangs and inhabitants that will kill you if you even smell funny. Warden Cross and Alfred Furnace are the main antagonists of the series but they are not as prevalent until the very end of book 1 and the start of book 2.
The good: The characters, one of the best set of characters of any young adult book. They truly care for each other and in place of a typical romance this series has a bromance which is a nice change that you do not see often in young adult series. The setting is interesting, leading to many questions on what the h*ll is actually going on in the prison. Its violent but not to the point of being overdone, it is a prison full of violent murders and the guards are no different. As the saying goes "F*ck around and find out".
The Bad: The real series does not really take off until some way through book 2 (not really starting till book 3) as this book is mostly there to introduce the cast and what to expect in the future. The main villains are not at all explained or drawn out until later in the series which is not a huge bad but can push people away from the book. Alex is the weakest character out of the main cast as he is very selfish and his thoughts show that. However, He gets better throughout the series.
If you like dark and violent series that have a lot of mystery, check this series out as it is one of the most unique young adult series out there.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Suicide, Violence, and Murder
brassnbooks's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- 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? Yes
5.0
I read this a while ago from the library but I finally got the first two books for Christmas and my goodness this book still holds up! I'm usually not a horror person at all but this book is just so interesting I love it. It gives me SCP and bioshock vibes I can't wait to own and read the entire series!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Animal death, Vomit, and Murder
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