gaylic's Reviews (728)

Content warnings for this book are super necessary. There is a great deal of graphic descriptions of rape, cannibalism, and other various violences throughout, including violence towards animals and violent sexual assault implied towards children. It is not a faint hearted read in the slightest, but none of the violence, sexual or otherwise, felt like a cheap shock value. It had its place in establishing the City for what it was and the trauma was very well dealt with for the survivors like Alice. 

Overall, this book was a fast paced and… interesting read. Considering the content, “enjoyable” feels like the wrong word, but it was a book I certainly couldn’t put down. The revenge elements are highly satisfying and there are enough literary twists to keep it engaging. It would have been 5 stars, but the sexual violence did at times feel redundant and so I’m giving it 4 stars for that reason instead. Maybe more like 4.5 rounded down.

This book is incredibly written. The war passages are so powerful and hit so hard that I had to put the book down sometimes. It was a book that sticks with you, which is why I couldn’t bring myself to give it only three stars. Hannah is too amazing a writer for that. 

However, there is a lot in the second half that made me feel like I was just pushing through to finish. Maybe that was the point, since Frankie is also trying to just push through life and survive, but that’s a feeling I don’t really want to experience in a book alongside the character. There were a few too many dramatic “twists” for me to find it enjoyable, and at points it even felt like it was unbelievable just how much was going wrong beyond Frankie’s control. Yes, I know that that is sometimes how things are in real life, but that doesn’t always translate to a well done story. I was tired of all the pain by the end, which again, I was maybe supposed to be feeling alongside Frankie, but isn’t something I necessarily want to be feeling when reading a book. 

The ending was strong though and I did deeply love the friendship between Frankie, Ethel, and Barb. I liked seeing how differently their lives played out and wished there had been more focus on that then on all the romantic dramas. I liked seeing them come together repeatedly to support one another and I’m glad that was the ultimate point and focus of the book. It also had amazing commentary on the war itself, in the politics and the complexity of the situation both in-country and in the US. 

Overall, I don’t regret reading this, and I would definitely recommend it to others.

While this wasn’t quite as hooking as the first book, it was an amazing expansion to Alice’s journey. I enjoyed seeing her grow and learn how to be on her own, becoming her own kind of Magician, and the side characters felt stronger than they did in the last story. 

The twists were predictable and at times the writing was more confusing due to the dreamy quality she was going for, to the point where I had to reread pages to figure out what was going on. However, it felt more Alice-like in that way and there was lots of delightful nightmare imagery that could be used because of the change in style. 

I missed Hatcher, though, and the story does lack something without him present. I think of he’d been a stronger presence in the story, it would have felt like a 5 instead of a 4. But definitely recommend reading if you are a fan of Alice’s story.