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thecozyintrovert's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Rape, Murder, Incest, Miscarriage, Suicide, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Gaslighting, and Kidnapping
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
box_wine_hero's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Confinement, Child abuse, and Miscarriage
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Suicide, Child death, Pregnancy, and Kidnapping
grimdark_dad's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Confinement, Child death, Child abuse, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Infertility, Murder, Self harm, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, War, and Miscarriage
mwass's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Blood, Self harm, Murder, and Body horror
Moderate: Kidnapping, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Pedophilia and Rape
mickeyzbookz's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Grief, Gaslighting, Eating disorder, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, Violence, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Murder, Miscarriage, Torture, Suicide, Death, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, Rape, Suicide attempt, Kidnapping, and Blood
m_ichellep's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Murder, Violence, Self harm, Confinement, Death, Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Child death, War, Rape, and Sexual assault
Minor: Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Infertility, Suicidal thoughts, Miscarriage, Kidnapping, Death of parent, War, and Suicide
paronomaniac'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Self harm, Blood, Child death, Emotional abuse, and Grief
Moderate: Sexual assault, Animal death, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, and Murder
rachelunabridged'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? Yes
5.0
~ ~ ~
On the isle of Altnaharra, Uncle and his young acolytes await the coming of Him, the snake from the sea.
~ ~ ~
My mind has been blown by Catriona Ward yet again! I've loved everything by her that I've read so far and had a hunch that this read would be equally fantastic. I'm not exaggerating when I say that this book exceeded all of my expectations. Even though I've been absolutely swamped with college classwork, I found myself sneaking in as much of this read as I could. Every time I had to put it down, the story stayed stuck in my head until I picked it up again.
Additionally, this book has one of the best opening chapters I've ever read. It hooked me right from the beginning, and Ward did a fantastic job building on that intrigue as the plot progressed. This was one of those reads where I found myself completely immersed in the events of the story and desperate to see how it was going to turn out. Unlike the other works I've read by this author, I was able to guess where this book was going, but it didn't make the experience of watching it unfold any less enjoyable, in a messed up kind of way.
When I started this review, I thought about not including a summary of the plot at all. I think that this book is best experienced with as little prior knowledge as possible, which is why I ultimately settled on the single sentence above. I will, however, let you know that this is a cult book. There is murder. There is intrigue. And it's a hell of a ride from start to finish. If any of those things sound enticing to you, you should give this a read.
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Suicide, Child abuse, Confinement, Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, and Violence
Moderate: Gaslighting, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Self harm, Sexual violence, and Torture
Minor: Kidnapping and War