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ramunepocky's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.0
This book infuriated me so goddamn fucking much. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it and it was a wild ride, but it definitely didn’t need to be as long as it was and it definitely didn’t need to be so thoroughly entrenched in relationship drama when a much more interesting and deadly overarching storyline was happening. I feel like the whole Shadow Game was just drowned out by Enne and Levi’s relationship bullshit and it was so frustrating to read, and I don’t understand why it was necessary, I have never been so bored reading a book about a death game because half of it wasn’t the death game at all. And every time it switched back to being specifically about the high stakes and the shadow game, it was suddenly extremely interesting again, and it was so rich in world building and lore, and I rlly loved that part, but the relationship drama just brought it back down again. I genuinely considering DNF’ing this book on more than one occasion b/c of it. Their relationship just ended up so toxic too, like I couldn’t buy it as actually romantic anymore bc it just didn’t work at all. There was too much manipulation and resentment there.
I hate Enne with a burning, fiery passion and she joins Jace Herondale in the ranking for my least favourite characters of all time. She made me so unbeliavably and uncontrollably angry. She was so selfish, she didn’t take responsibility or accountability for anything. She decided almost immediately that she’d played no part in Jac’s death despite being the hand that pulled the trigger and the one that came up with the idea to kill him to break Levi’s heart. But no, ofc, that couldn’t be precious, naive Enne’s fault. And how she just decided that Vianka was the one who’d shaped her into Seance and made her the way she was, despite the fact that making Lola take the street oath under duress and threat of death was her own decisions and actions, despite the fact that she’d actively wanted to hurt and kill Sedric Torren, despite the fact that Enne herself had manipulated Vianka, but ofc, everyone else is to blame and she played no part in that at all. Because innocent little Enne could do nothing wrong. She continued to constantly say she couldn’t rely on anyone for anything whilst expecting them to drop everything to do something for her, and then being bitchy because she got the thing she wanted, but wasn’t happy about it. There was just no winning with her, and it pissed me off so fucking much. I wish she had died.
I feel bad for Arabella tbh; she suffered at the hands of the misers and made some poor decisions based on it, but she’d done some good too in her deals. She wasn’t exactly a bad person, and she wasn’t a good one, she was just trying to make the world a better place and deal with the choices she’d made and yet she was constantly labelled as the devil. I wish she had just killed Enne tbh; Enne deserved it and the world could have been a better place without her.
It hurt seeing Lola lose sm and becoming so angry and bitter, but honestly, I related to it so much bc I was also filled with sm bitter hatred towards Enne. It broke me seeing her not realise what/who she had bargained away and every interaction she had with Tock where she couldn’t remember, but them reuniting at the end and getting the happy ending they deserved brought my heart sm joy. Tock was the first person to realise Lola had made a deal with the Bargainer from only one interaction with her, and she never gave up on her!!! I LOVE THEM SM!!!
I have sm more to say, but I am tired and my words are not working esp when this review is already so long but alas
I feel like this was very much a book where there wasn’t rlly clear bad and good guys because every single character had had their own motives, and done both right and wrong, and were all morally grey. Except Enne ofc. She was the real antagonist.
I hate Enne with a burning, fiery passion and she joins Jace Herondale in the ranking for my least favourite characters of all time. She made me so unbeliavably and uncontrollably angry. She was so selfish, she didn’t take responsibility or accountability for anything. She decided almost immediately that she’d played no part in Jac’s death despite being the hand that pulled the trigger and the one that came up with the idea to kill him to break Levi’s heart. But no, ofc, that couldn’t be precious, naive Enne’s fault. And how she just decided that Vianka was the one who’d shaped her into Seance and made her the way she was, despite the fact that making Lola take the street oath under duress and threat of death was her own decisions and actions, despite the fact that she’d actively wanted to hurt and kill Sedric Torren, despite the fact that Enne herself had manipulated Vianka, but ofc, everyone else is to blame and she played no part in that at all. Because innocent little Enne could do nothing wrong. She continued to constantly say she couldn’t rely on anyone for anything whilst expecting them to drop everything to do something for her, and then being bitchy because she got the thing she wanted, but wasn’t happy about it. There was just no winning with her, and it pissed me off so fucking much. I wish she had died.
I feel bad for Arabella tbh; she suffered at the hands of the misers and made some poor decisions based on it, but she’d done some good too in her deals. She wasn’t exactly a bad person, and she wasn’t a good one, she was just trying to make the world a better place and deal with the choices she’d made and yet she was constantly labelled as the devil. I wish she had just killed Enne tbh; Enne deserved it and the world could have been a better place without her.
It hurt seeing Lola lose sm and becoming so angry and bitter, but honestly, I related to it so much bc I was also filled with sm bitter hatred towards Enne. It broke me seeing her not realise what/who she had bargained away and every interaction she had with Tock where she couldn’t remember, but them reuniting at the end and getting the happy ending they deserved brought my heart sm joy. Tock was the first person to realise Lola had made a deal with the Bargainer from only one interaction with her, and she never gave up on her!!! I LOVE THEM SM!!!
I have sm more to say, but I am tired and my words are not working esp when this review is already so long but alas
I feel like this was very much a book where there wasn’t rlly clear bad and good guys because every single character had had their own motives, and done both right and wrong, and were all morally grey. Except Enne ofc. She was the real antagonist.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Toxic relationship, Gun violence, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
memento_morri's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Murder, Death, and Violence
readwithria's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I have mixed feelings about this book, and this series as a whole, but one of my main issues is the lack of foreshadowing in the mysteries. There seem to be things thrown in that are "solved" but the answer doesn't make sense like the buildings on the pier that are burnt down. Bryce is connected to that, but how? Why? It never actually gets explained. . There are also some inconsistencies within the talent descriptions, and how strong split talents are in some people versus others. I finished this book without all of my questions answered, but that wasn't because they were left unanswered so much as because the answers given in the book didn't actually make sense.
Another issue I had with this book was the romance subplot between Levi and Enne.I'm sorry, but their fake relationship was dumb. They were so toxic to each other throughout the second half of the trilogy that I could never buy them as a couple, and then it's as if all their betrayals never happened (also, the word "betrayal" was overused and misused. Find other words like broken promises, broken trust, duplicity, lied to, etc).
All in all, this trilogy was entertaining but not one that I would strongly recommend. However, it does do a great job of being gay and doing crime.
Another issue I had with this book was the romance subplot between Levi and Enne.
All in all, this trilogy was entertaining but not one that I would strongly recommend. However, it does do a great job of being gay and doing crime.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Murder, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Car accident, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Grief, Kidnapping, and Terminal illness
mjfines's review against another edition
Characterization was frustrating and out of line with some developed personalities. Plus it was moving pretty slowly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Murder, Suicide attempt, and Toxic relationship
plumpaperbacks's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
After how King of Fools ended, I was extremely nervous for this book, and rightfully so. From cover to cover, Queen of Volts was full of action, twists, and emotion, everything I love in series finales. I laughed and grieved and feared alongside the characters, hoping for the best but expecting the worst.
Foody expertly managed the main plot and all of the subplots, always keeping the story intriguing. There were five narrators and numerous side characters, but I was never bored or confused. Even when I was reading from someone’s perspective that didn’t interest me as much as Enne’s or Levi’s, I was entertained. By the end of the book, I was invested in literally everyone’s lives and relationships and well-being.
And speaking of Enne and Levi, oh my god, these two. I can’t put into words how much pain they caused me as I read this book. The miscommunication and repressed feelings and angst and yearning were nearly the end of me. You know how in the movie Moana, when Heihei realizes they’re on a boat in the middle of the ocean, he just screams and screams? That was me internally every time Enne and Levi almost made up, almost made out, and then got interrupted somehow or upset with each other. As if the intensity of the situation wasn’t stressful enough, I was also suffering from all of the romantic and sexual tension between these two.
I loved this book so much. Even though it was frequently painful, it also reminded me why I loved the series. I can confidently say these books are on my all-time favorites list, and the characters will always hold a special place in my heart. Please read The Shadow Game trilogy; just make sure to buckle in first, ‘cause it’s a wild ride.
Representation
Foody expertly managed the main plot and all of the subplots, always keeping the story intriguing. There were five narrators and numerous side characters, but I was never bored or confused. Even when I was reading from someone’s perspective that didn’t interest me as much as Enne’s or Levi’s, I was entertained. By the end of the book, I was invested in literally everyone’s lives and relationships and well-being.
And speaking of Enne and Levi, oh my god, these two. I can’t put into words how much pain they caused me as I read this book. The miscommunication and repressed feelings and angst and yearning were nearly the end of me. You know how in the movie Moana, when Heihei realizes they’re on a boat in the middle of the ocean, he just screams and screams? That was me internally every time Enne and Levi almost made up, almost made out, and then got interrupted somehow or upset with each other. As if the intensity of the situation wasn’t stressful enough, I was also suffering from all of the romantic and sexual tension between these two.
I loved this book so much. Even though it was frequently painful, it also reminded me why I loved the series. I can confidently say these books are on my all-time favorites list, and the characters will always hold a special place in my heart. Please read The Shadow Game trilogy; just make sure to buckle in first, ‘cause it’s a wild ride.
Representation
- Black bisexual protagonist
- side characters of color
- queer side characters (includes gay, lesbian and bisexual rep)
- two sapphic side romances (f/f)
- achillean side romance (m/m)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Violence, Gun violence, and Blood
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Grief
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide attempt
One character has PTSD and another has depression. Both are noticeably present but not a major focus of the story.
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