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wait_whoissheagain's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I enjoyed reading this book, although the character’s relationships were constantly back-and-forth, and did leave me somewhat confused as to where the characters stood at different points throughout the story. I suppose these twisty relationships could be put down to the horrible traumas these characters faced while at Altnaharra. These traumas are heart wrenching and very uncomfortable to read, especially as more comes to light throughout the story.
I didn’t find the characters all that likeable (again I think this is due to their trauma) but I was yearning for all of them to be ok and parts of this story were heartbreaking! It was interesting watching Eve struggle with wanting to embrace her curious side and break free from the life she has been told to live, while also wanting the power and life of the Adder so much that she would do anything. It was also interesting to hear how Dinah adjusted to life after the traumatic events, and how she was learning to deal with her past. I was rooting for these characters, despite the fact that I didn’t particularly resonate with them.
There are only 11 chapters in this 265 page book, which was a little frustrating, as I like to take breaks at different chapters, and that was hard to do with chapters that were 30-60 pages long! Despite this, I do like how the story was set out, moving back and forth between the perspectives of Eve and Dinah at their respective times. And, there was easy enough spots to stop and have a rest with breaks between paragraphs, it’s just a personal habit that I like to stop at chapters!
Please make yourself aware of the possible trigger warnings before reading this book, but if you are a fan of twisty murders, stories about religious cults or gothic tales, I would recommend giving this book a read.
Graphic: Death, Murder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Body horror, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Confinement, and Violence
Moderate: Infertility, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide, Miscarriage, and Rape
erinbarr13's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Violence, Toxic relationship, Rape, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Suicide attempt, Self harm, Child abuse, Gore, Pedophilia, Murder, Emotional abuse, Death, Confinement, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Animal death, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
bookish_af's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Physical abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Blood, Child death, Child abuse, Death, and War
Moderate: Pedophilia, Incest, Adult/minor relationship, Suicide, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, and Kidnapping
lizreaderhold's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Abandonment, Animal death, Body horror, Car accident, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Murder, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Torture, Abortion, Child death, Chronic illness, Gore, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Addiction, Blood, Death of parent, Grief, Infertility, Confinement, Slavery, and Toxic relationship
racl's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Culty, unhealthy family dynamics, beautiful writing, I enjoyed it!
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gaslighting, Murder, Drug use, Blood, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Confinement, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Pregnancy, War, Suicidal thoughts, Car accident, Rape, and Toxic relationship
emzhay's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death, Child death, Torture, Animal cruelty, Misogyny, Confinement, Self harm, Gaslighting, Child abuse, Religious bigotry, and Pedophilia
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Adult/minor relationship, and Bullying
archaicrobin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
The characters were all unlikeable and prevented me from connecting with any of them. The story is told from two timelines, one in the past before the massacre on the island, and the other after from the perspective of the sole survivor. It’s written in first person for both perspectives but this did not help connect with the character, it just made things more tedious in my opinion.
Along with unlikeable characters the pacing was far too slow and this book was a total slog to get through. I had to force myself to read this because most of the time nothing was happening but more abusive cult bullshit with no real purpose. Trigger warnings for rape, drugs, torture, starvation, child abuse, sexual assault, pedophilia, and violence by the way because no trigger warnings are given and this whole book is focused on this mini cult where all these abuses occur. It was so tedious to pick this up and have another chapter about abuse but it’s ok because it’s for Adder, like I GET IT, they’re in a cult on this island for some reason.
I know there’s a plot in this book I just honestly can’t find it. The twist was also just confusing, there were so many questions, all of them left unanswered. The narrator is a huge part of the twist and it lies in her changing her mindset and leaving the brainwashing but it was unbelievable how it happened. She just woke up on day and decided to not believe in it anymore, after being raised and manipulated and abused her entire childhood she just one day stands up and says “nah”.
Overall, I would skip this earlier novel by Ward which was recently re-released on the states and read her newer works instead that have engaging characters, better pacing, and a clear plot line that doesn’t get muddled up in abuse and cult nonsense.
Graphic: Drug use, Sexism, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Dysphoria, Misogyny, Torture, Abandonment, Blood, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Pedophilia, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Miscarriage, Classism, Body horror, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, Animal death, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Drug abuse, and Pregnancy
siobhanward's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Death, Murder, and Body horror
elle_e_d_light's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Death
Moderate: Gaslighting, Adult/minor relationship, Murder, and Pedophilia
Minor: Rape, Suicide, Confinement, Animal death, and Miscarriage
A major topic of the book is cults and cult behavior. Just assume that most of the usual cult-related behaviors and activities will probably be at least mentioned at some point in this book.goldenas's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Miscarriage, Self harm, Animal cruelty, Blood, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Murder, Pedophilia, Rape, Animal death, Gore, Torture, and Violence