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alphabetmafiamember's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Animal death, Infidelity, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Stalking, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Rape, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, War, and Classism
palmkd's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I really enjoy this kind of storytelling which I feel is reminiscent of Cloud Cuckoo Land and the Night Circus, but this is very much a reflective "what if the world unraveled around you" kind of a story with very different themes than the other two books. It might be a weird comparison but in the case of all 3 books I feel you're a bit caught up in a fever dream where you piece together the story across multiple times, persons and places, with there being common threads through it all and a general feeling of hope.
That being said this is very much the dystopian/world-is-ending type of speculative fiction that feels all too close, perhaps even more so now than at its original publication 10 years ago. In this story, a pandemic takes the world by storm. Our tale follows several different characters of various ages and walks of life. They all have some connection to a specific King Lear production whose lead actor died of a heart attack just before the world followed suit.
Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Rape and Toxic relationship
gaymoonreader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Drug use and Alcohol
Minor: Sexual assault
mbelle97's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Child death, Kidnapping, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
content warning: cults, religious zealotschelly_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Murder, Abandonment, and Pandemic/Epidemic
amsswim'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: Death, Gun violence, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Mental illness, Rape, and Sexual assault
bookswithbethx's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Pandemic/Epidemic
spineofthesaurus'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
4.0
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Ableism, Alcoholism, Animal death, Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Car accident, and Pregnancy
krispy_reading's review
- 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
3.5
All of current life’s simplicities and technology, gone faster than you could process what’s happening to the world. What would you miss the most? What would you bring with you?
Yes, the book is post-apocalyptic but not in a The Walking Dead kind of way. There is more character reflection and adaptation with less violent elements.
There is a broad cast. If you can’t keep track of all Symphony members? It’s fine, just go along for the ride.
There are frequent time jumps in multiple directions. I would have appreciated the chapter titles named after the time period & character name as opposed to basic numerical order.
Ending was ok.
Graphic: Death, Toxic relationship, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, and Murder
Moderate: Gun violence, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Medical content, Grief, and Stalking
Minor: Alcoholism, Child death, Physical abuse, Blood, Death of parent, and Alcohol
lynxpardinus's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Suicide, Violence, Medical content, Kidnapping, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Ableism, Animal death, Drug use, Infidelity, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, Blood, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Rape and War
Adult/minor relationship warning is partially for a couple who met when one was a minor. Ableism warning is for the trope of a disabled character dying as part of an abled character's story. Colonisation warning is just in case, for discussion of Israel in a normalized light.