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nyctxnthus's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Blood, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, and Homophobia
rachaelarsenault's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
0.5
If it weren't for the over-abundance of boy-drama, this would be an almost-okay book.
The boy-drama should actually be excusable in this installment since it ties into the plot, but there's simply too much of it. Considering the incredibly important plot elements going on, there should not be three consecutive chapters of Zoey going, "Oh no! I have three boyfriends and they're all jealousss!" It's excessive.
Another notable thing in this book is how it highlights how little personality of purpose Damien and the Twins possess. They are mostly absent from the book for plot reasons and that absence is barely noticeable - they are such empty characters that I don't really realize when we haven't seen them for a while, let alone miss them. If these characters were removed from the series entirely, the only consequence would be that Zoey wouldn't have enough friends to cast a circle.
This book also features some of the most atrocious treatment of minorities I've seen in the series so far. This includes the familiar but infuriating in the form of an entire paragraph about Damien that can be summed up as: "Damien is gay. Super, super gay. But that's fine because he's not too gay - he's cool gay", which is then topped off by Damien casually using gay slurs because apparently that's funny. Then there's Zoey power-tripping and and using her affinity to throw two heavily-stereotyped black men into traffic, where they are hit with a truck and potentially killed. This has absolutely no follow-up or consequences and seems to exist as a quick reminder to Zoey that she shouldn't let power go to her head. This is also the first book to give a face to homeless people, but only so it can degrade them as dirty and essentially treat them as subhuman.
This book can't get its themes straight. As the title suggests, there's some lip service paid to the idea of fate versus freewill, which is meant to be of pinnacle importance in the climax. A character makes an important sacrifice, saying that it's their choice freely made - but simultaneously saying that they were "Chosen" to make that choice, implying it was fate dictated by Nyx. The fact that Nyx also hands foreshadowing and plot points to Zoey on a silver platter throughout the series (which I have failed to rant about in past reviews) also contradicts the notion that characters are free to navigate the story however they choose, given that Nyx blatantly forces Zoey to do or not do certain things at various points throughout the story.
This brings me to Zoey's incredible lack of agency and initiative, which has always been problem but is especially apparent in this book. Zoey resolves nothing of her own volition. Either Nyx gives her a breadcrumb trail and/or blatantly spells out what she needs to do, or Aphrodite points out a problem and then finds the solution. A good example of this is when a plot point means it will be incredibly difficult to sneak off campus to go see Stevie Rae. Aphrodite brings this to Zoey's attention, then promptly explains that she took care of it. It makes me question why I'm supposed to be rooting for this character when nothing is really a problem for her.
Like with "Betrayed", this book's only saving grace is that it has a coherent plot, albeit one that is full of distractions and terrible pacing.
The boy-drama should actually be excusable in this installment since it ties into the plot, but there's simply too much of it. Considering the incredibly important plot elements going on, there should not be three consecutive chapters of Zoey going, "Oh no! I have three boyfriends and they're all jealousss!" It's excessive.
Another notable thing in this book is how it highlights how little personality of purpose Damien and the Twins possess. They are mostly absent from the book for plot reasons and that absence is barely noticeable - they are such empty characters that I don't really realize when we haven't seen them for a while, let alone miss them. If these characters were removed from the series entirely, the only consequence would be that Zoey wouldn't have enough friends to cast a circle.
This book also features some of the most atrocious treatment of minorities I've seen in the series so far. This includes the familiar but infuriating in the form of an entire paragraph about Damien that can be summed up as: "Damien is gay. Super, super gay. But that's fine because he's not too gay - he's cool gay", which is then topped off by Damien casually using gay slurs because apparently that's funny. Then there's Zoey power-tripping and and using her affinity to throw two heavily-stereotyped black men into traffic, where they are hit with a truck and potentially killed. This has absolutely no follow-up or consequences and seems to exist as a quick reminder to Zoey that she shouldn't let power go to her head. This is also the first book to give a face to homeless people, but only so it can degrade them as dirty and essentially treat them as subhuman.
This book can't get its themes straight. As the title suggests, there's some lip service paid to the idea of fate versus freewill, which is meant to be of pinnacle importance in the climax. A character makes an important sacrifice, saying that it's their choice freely made - but simultaneously saying that they were "Chosen" to make that choice, implying it was fate dictated by Nyx. The fact that Nyx also hands foreshadowing and plot points to Zoey on a silver platter throughout the series (which I have failed to rant about in past reviews) also contradicts the notion that characters are free to navigate the story however they choose, given that Nyx blatantly forces Zoey to do or not do certain things at various points throughout the story.
This brings me to Zoey's incredible lack of agency and initiative, which has always been problem but is especially apparent in this book. Zoey resolves nothing of her own volition. Either Nyx gives her a breadcrumb trail and/or blatantly spells out what she needs to do, or Aphrodite points out a problem and then finds the solution. A good example of this is when a plot point means it will be incredibly difficult to sneak off campus to go see Stevie Rae. Aphrodite brings this to Zoey's attention, then promptly explains that she took care of it. It makes me question why I'm supposed to be rooting for this character when nothing is really a problem for her.
Like with "Betrayed", this book's only saving grace is that it has a coherent plot, albeit one that is full of distractions and terrible pacing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Misogyny
Minor: Ableism and Vomit
There is a scene in which the main character callously throws two unarmed black men into traffic. It is never indicated if these men survive, and the character faces no consequences for her actions.
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