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talonsontypewriters's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-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? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Violence, and Mental illness
Moderate: Ableism, Kidnapping, Racism, Suicide attempt, Murder, Forced institutionalization, and Death
Minor: Death of parent, Torture, Suicide, Excrement, and Racial slurs
monicalaurette's review
I just wasn't as pulled into this book as I wanted to be. I didn't like Millie as a narrator and the way she thought of things felt off. It seemed very quick that she was just okay with things, and even more so too early for her to be sent off on missions and jobs the first full day she is there.
There were other parts of Millie's internal thoughts about others in the house (Gloria & the baby) that I just didn't need and they made me feel uncomfortable.Like why did I need to know anything about the baby's 'doodad'?
Now I don't know if this was my specific copy either but I came upon a lot of grammar errors like missing words or words in the wrong place that also threw me out of the story. Normally that doesn't bother me but I felt that about 25% of the way through the book, the amount that I caught was a lot.
Not going to go into the representation of this book because I just have depression so I'm not sure how wonderfully or terribly it's written here. All I'll say about it is that it's nice to see the types of representation, BPD & amputation, in the book and there should be more of it.
about triggers
I put down rape because I'm not sure if that's what is going on with the professor from UCLA and Millie but that's the feeling I got and I'm not reading more of the book to find out if I'm right
There were other parts of Millie's internal thoughts about others in the house (Gloria & the baby) that I just didn't need and they made me feel uncomfortable.
Now I don't know if this was my specific copy either but I came upon a lot of grammar errors like missing words or words in the wrong place that also threw me out of the story. Normally that doesn't bother me but I felt that about 25% of the way through the book, the amount that I caught was a lot.
Not going to go into the representation of this book because I just have depression so I'm not sure how wonderfully or terribly it's written here. All I'll say about it is that it's nice to see the types of representation, BPD & amputation, in the book and there should be more of it.
about triggers
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt and Suicide
Moderate: Medical content, Self harm, Mental illness, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Rape
grey_jayne's review
I appreciate the mental illness and disability representation. That's huge and I'm not knocking the series at all.
I'm nearly 1/3 into this book and nothing has grabbed me. I switched to audiobook and came to the realization today that I wasn't going to read the rest of the series. Apart from the little dragon friend, I wasn't having fun. And that's when it's time to DNF. If I'm not going to continue the series, might as well stop.
I'm nearly 1/3 into this book and nothing has grabbed me. I switched to audiobook and came to the realization today that I wasn't going to read the rest of the series. Apart from the little dragon friend, I wasn't having fun. And that's when it's time to DNF. If I'm not going to continue the series, might as well stop.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt and Mental illness
g533's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Self harm, and Suicide attempt
morupluie's review
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
TLDR: interesting, diverse characters are the best part of the book. The plot is boring and not completely thought out. It's fine
I enjoyed the book over all. It's writing was well paced and didn't linger too long on useless conflict. Although the fantasy element was prevalent the writing never made a big deal out of it which was a relief. I hate it when the main character spends too much time on being surprised or overwhelmed. The characters in general were realistically written and even though Millie's brain was unfamiliar territory, her outlook and active role made her likeable especially at the end. The main reason I only award 3 stars is because the story itself is weak. The characters are the focus and the story is lacking body and creativity. It's a bit cliché and read to me like it was written as an afterthought.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Self harm
Minor: Child abuse and Emotional abuse
buttermellow's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Suicide attempt, and Mental illness
Moderate: Self harm and Violence
Minor: Racism and Death of parent
cerilouisereads's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
fast-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Death, Violence, Suicide attempt, and Self harm
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Ableism, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Blood, and Sexual harassment
marleens's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was a really good read, and most of that came from an awesome main character. I really enjoyed following Millie, her thought processes and the way she reacts to the world and people around her. Her Borderline and her use of wheelchair and cane didn’t define her but they did have a big impact on the story. I’m curious about own voices reviews about the representation here, but as someone with no experience with any of these things it felt like it was described and handled well.
In the middle of the book I lost interest for a while, but later it picked up again. Overall it was mostly a detective-like plot which I wasn’t really expecting. Also I haven’t read many books about fae and don’t know much about fae lore, and I’m not sure how interested I am in that part. But even just for Millie’s sake I’m interested in continuing the series.
In the middle of the book I lost interest for a while, but later it picked up again. Overall it was mostly a detective-like plot which I wasn’t really expecting. Also I haven’t read many books about fae and don’t know much about fae lore, and I’m not sure how interested I am in that part. But even just for Millie’s sake I’m interested in continuing the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm and Death
Moderate: Suicide and Suicide attempt
pixey007's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-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? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt
kjtlion's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Why you should read this book:
- The voice of the main character, Millie. The story is told in first person, giving us a front row seat to Millie's snark, cynicism, and her often fallible conclusions about people around her. The forthrightness with which her thought processes and emotional states are presented can feel a little crude, but the payoff is one of the most candid representations I've ever read of what it's like to be a flawed human person doing their best. Millie misjudges people, has thoughts she's not proud of, misrepresents herself when she speaks, and says things she regrets. This is all build in with the way Millie frankly narrates her experience with borderline personality disorder, and while BPD isn't my same brand of mental health disorder, I felt very seen. Despite being painted with rather blunt strokes, Millie's character felt very real to me, and captured some things that I don't often see in fiction.
- The plot of the central mystery. The overall pieces of the puzzle were well spaced throughout the story, the climactic resolution to the mystery made sense without being overly predictable, and Millie's attention to detail helped everything pull together nicely.
- The supporting cast. The other members of the Arcadia Project were wonderfully diverse in both their characters and their relationships to the protagonist, giving the interpersonal aspects of the story a dynamic feeling that was enjoyable to read.
Things that didn't work for me:
- The ending. This was honestly a 4.5 star read for me until the last fifty pages or so. The climax felt hasty, and everything past that felt abrupt. The central mystery resolved well, but the other pieces weren't really wrapped up so much as thrown haphazardly in a box and taped shut. Nonspecific spoiler:
major character betrayal and subsequent deaths seemed to come out of nowhere and then were just not dealt with?? at all?? Other reviews seem pretty split, so your mileage may vary, especially if you don't necessarily need your endings tidy. For me, the ending was deeply unsatisfying and left a bad taste in my mouth.
I am very rarely an audiobook person, but I listened to the narration of this book by Arden Hammersmith and thought it was excellent. I highly recommend.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Self harm, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Blood, Death of parent, and Racial slurs