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clovetra'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? It's complicated
4.0
this book was so magical in so many ways, and i genuinely think this book will stick with me for life.
i'll be real, before the last ~100 pages i was expecting this to be a 4-star read. the last 100 pages were easily 5-star pages, but i will say i did experience *some* issues reading this.
for one, some parts of the story are quite confusing and unrealistic. unrealistic is like 99% of this book because kids are travelling into a mirror but from what was established in the universe, some things did not feel practical.
for example, how kokoro reacts to her education & why she's not going. as someone who lowkey wagged a lot of year 7 in high school, i get her. but like... her reason is so unrealistic for not going! not trying to shame my girl but... idk i couldn't buy into the fact that *that* was what caused her to not go to school.... like idk as a fellow ex-school avoider it felt odd. and this same can apply for all the other students in the castle (minus rion my pookie). yet again not trying to shame non-existant characters or those who have avoided school for those reasons! i just..... don't believe it, which threw me out of the story many times.
also this is such an insane nitpick but i literally could NOT tell the difference between the male characters. by the end i could remember who rion was but..... all the others blended into one. this is such a unique experience because ive never had this happen to me..... like even in [book:Battle Royale|57891] i could somehow remember all the characters. this one? i had no idea who was who & i just prayed i was picturing the right person.
simply because of those reasons it felt wrong to do a 5 star rating. if i was someone who half-starred books she would defo be a 4.5, but if i compare this with all my other 5-stars, idk this book feels better in the higher end of my 4-star ratings.
ok now let me gush about this book.
THE ENDINGGG????? ohhh the entire last chapter my ass was fucking BAWLING. i did not expect to go into this book crying???? i thought this was just some whimsical coming-of-age story.... i got hoodwinked /lh
i wanted to throw up i was crying that bad with the explanation of the castle.... did not go into that strong enough. like if i know a book is sad i will mentally prepare. i was not prepared!!!!
the character's bonds and friendships were quite beautiful to read, especially seeing each one come out of their shell more and more.
the reveals were so unexpected but that's because i wasn't looking for them!! i was so comfy i was just reading, missing every sign ever. the plot twists didn't feel cheap but they also were still surprises! like if i actually paid attention and put together pieces i still don't think i would've reached the conclusions but tbh im not mad!! my ass is not good at deducting mysteries so i like the fact it was spelled out to me like i have no brain <3 (i don't have a brain)
anyways i didn't expect to have this book impact me this much. i will say i think it touched me a lot is because ive been in these kid's shoes! bullied, school avoidance, social anxiety, bedrotting (my beloved), horrible family life situations, overachieving, etc. i related a bit too deeply at times tbh, but i think that made me love this story even more!
i don't think im saying anything meaningful in this review but i had a fun time and u know what this book made me cry so in my mind that means the book was fire.
Graphic: Bullying and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Suicide attempt
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Blood, and Death of parent
crows_in_a_trenchcoat'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? No
5.0
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Cancer, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Fatphobia and Death of parent
atalea'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? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Minor: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Cancer, Death, Sexual assault, and Death of parent
kaiyakaiyo'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
I often struggle with translated literature feeling stilted or distanced from the characters but this was spectacular.
my one bone to pick is that sometimes the children admitted faults in places where truly their parents should have picked up the slack, but I also think that is realistic to their lives. their parents didn’t know them enough to notice their issues, so the kids blame themselves for “not speaking up” when problems arouse. :(
Graphic: Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
blacksphinx'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
4.5
Graphic: Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Fatphobia, and Mental illness
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Grief, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Sexual assault, Medical content, Car accident, and Death of parent
Misogynistic slursemjbarnes'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? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Bullying and Mental illness
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Sexual violence, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
florecita_lectora'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? No
4.75
Graphic: Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Sexual violence, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
soupsoupsoup'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: Bullying
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Car accident and Death of parent
risemini's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Cancer, Child death, Death, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent
sarah984'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
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Medical content, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail