Reviews with content warning for Racial slurs - Damned

the only reason it gets half a star is cause the concept would of been good if it was by some one else and not fatphobic and not had racist undertones

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siriface's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny tense medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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readerette's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

This book couldn't seem to decide where it was going. The characters were mildly interesting but Madi is mostly just petty, racist, and not an accurate portrayal of a 13-year-old. Her friends were more interesting than her but didn't get a lot of focus. The twist

, that she's a character Satan made up,

doesn't fit in the context of the story. I guess it sets up the sequel, but it is unnecessary because she was already on a path to do what the twist sets up, aka

challenge Satan, since she decided to amass armies and change the landscape of Hell and what her armies do with their eternities

.

The story only really stands out for its dramatization and mocking of greenwashing, teenage relationships, Hollywood, and wealth. It's hard for me to recommend because while it's one of the more approachable of Palahniuk's books, it also lacks substance. In the audiobook narrated by Sophie Amoss, there are a few mispronunciations and possible editing mistakes.

If I squint, the story may be written as is because

Satan did in fact make it up, isn't a great writer, and wants us to find Madi annoying and excessively self-demeaning so that we cheer for him in the final battle

. The problem there is that the second book shouldn't be its own book then and we shouldn't have spent so long on this one, and who is going to

want Satan to win

, even in a world built by Palahniuk?

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grey_jayne's review against another edition

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dark funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

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? Yes

4.0

This was a reread and I was struggling with believing the narrator as a 13 year old girl so I listened along to Sophie Amoss on the audiobook while also reading my book. This really helped.

I do adore when Chuck Palahniuk leans into horror fantasy so this did still hook me after a while. Lurid creativity abounds with a thick layer of grime. You do need a steel stomach for these descriptions, as per usual.

Excited for the sequel now. Gonna get the print book and audiobook ready together soon.

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