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alexiab'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? No
4.0
considering that this book came out in the prime of YA love triangles, this is definitely a unique take on the trope. when you think about what was popular back then, twilight and hunger games and such, most love triangles were two polar opposite males aggressively hating each other and fighting to prove that their love for the girl was superior.
but THIS book, I don't think I've ever seen a love triangle done this way (that didn't end in polyamory anyway, since cassandra clare clearly doesn't love us). Having both boys deeply love each other, Tessa genuinely loving both of them, and the height of the love triangle conflict simply being no one wanting to hurt anyone is genuinely very complex and interesting for this trope. It creates this heartbreaking bittersweetness to the entire dynamic, and makes me want to root for every angle of this threeway to work out.
Which, again, wasn't what it was like 10-15 years ago. Not making the reader fight to pick a side, having both boys be genuinely good options AND be good to each other is a whole new concept and it makes me wonder how much of the popularity of this dynamic lead to the rise in poly ship popularity today.
MUCH TO THINK ABOUT.
Now all of that being said, there were some CHOICES made in this book that were either very out of character or didn't remotely serve the story, and I very much disliked them.
GLARINGLY obvious number 1 - Will and Tessa having sex after Jem dies. VERY out of character decision for them. I don't care if it's their last chance, I don't care if they think they're going to die, neither Will NOR Tessa would ever do anything like that when Jem quite literally just died *and* Tessa only just found out about it a handful of hours before hand. It's a betrayal of their characters. They have spent this entire book struggling to balance their love for each other with their love for Jem, and to have him "die" and IMMEDIATELY have them jump in bed together is just infuriatingly awful.
And number 2 - killing Jessamine for no apparent reason was such a poor decision. I understand bringing her back to the institute was the catalyst in Tessa being taken by Mortmain, but Jessamine didn't need to DIE, it didn't serve any purpose in the story. Why is she a disposable piece after being a main character for the rest of the series? make it make sense.
All in all I found this thoroughly entertaining and emotional. It's fun to see how these books affected me as an adult, and revisiting them was a lot more enjoyable than I might have assumed.
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Gore, and Blood
the_othersidewv's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
sin la conexión de Will y Jem no hubiese sido lo mismo btw los amo a los dos 🙏🏼🙏🏼
El desarrollo dado a los personajes secundarios en este libro me sorprendió mucho, me tenía casi gritando a las 3 am.
El epílogo es algo que no voy a superar, en unos años lo volveré a leer y me seguirá doliendo justo como la primera vez...
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, and Grief
Minor: Death, Genocide, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
aklovekorn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Moderate: Child death, Death, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
andrikkk'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, Deadnaming, Death, Drug use, Gore, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Sexual content
callmeneeks'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? No
4.0
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Drug use, Terminal illness, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Addiction, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Misogyny, Terminal illness, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual content, Violence, Pregnancy, and War
violet_pages'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug use, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, and Murder
Minor: Sexual content and Death of parent
sofiija's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Moderate: Addiction, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, and Murder
booksabound'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
5.0
Graphic: Death and Terminal illness
Moderate: Violence, Blood, and Kidnapping
Minor: Drug use, Sexual content, Grief, and Death of parent
tallyp's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Moderate: Chronic illness, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
sooreads's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Murder