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horizonous's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement
Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, Mental illness, Self harm, and Suicide
Minor: Cancer, Abortion, Blood, Drug abuse, Suicide attempt, Torture, Animal cruelty, Death, and Domestic abuse
◦ Drug abuse = Laudanum◦ Mental illness = Anxiety, depression
violentlyagitated's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This is the book equivalent to a cloudy day which makes you think it might start pouring at some point, but goes out in a light drizzle after all.
Vast stretches of not-much-happens dominate the plot. I was more interested in the prisoners' stories and their daily routine than in anything the actual plot was trying to achieve - feeling the emotions and taking in the atmosphere, I suppose? It didn't work, in any case... You never feel much of anything for anyone. The spirituality hook felt somewhat inaccessable and empty as well, very much like a device.
In the end, this is a story in which a convict and her gf shamelessly use a lady's weakness and manipulate her (and the matron, for that matter) for their own gain. The worst part is that you see it coming a mile away and still have to get through 200 more pages to get your suspicions confirmed. The worst crime here is boredom, really.
Vast stretches of not-much-happens dominate the plot. I was more interested in the prisoners' stories and their daily routine than in anything the actual plot was trying to achieve - feeling the emotions and taking in the atmosphere, I suppose? It didn't work, in any case... You never feel much of anything for anyone. The spirituality hook felt somewhat inaccessable and empty as well, very much like a device.
Content Warnings
Minor: Mental illness and Suicide attempt
nialiversuch's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Classism, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Homophobia, Misogyny, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Addiction, Confinement, Drug use, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Abortion and Child death
Minor: Alcohol and Terminal illness
emilyeehaw's review
slow-paced
okay miss sarah waters…you got me there! at several points throughout the book, i considered DNFing but i ended up finishing it and WOOF! i’m glad i did. i thought the ending of this book was so well-done and answered just as many questions as it left.
during my reading experience, i really was so back-and-forth on the validity of selina dawes and her “powers” as a medium. one moment i was like omg wow this girl really can talk to spirits and the next i was just shaking my head over how silly people were to be believing her. and the ENDING got me good in this regard.
margaret was an interesting narrator. i felt for her in terms of wanting more independence and wanting connections to the women, specifically selina, at the prison even when these maybe weren’t the best relationships. i liked that this book was told in epistolary format, i’m always a sucker for that.
deeply sorry that ENDING dhdjhshd really has me gooped. seeing how the pieces all fell into place…good stuff. maybe i’m easily impressed but i truly did not see it coming.
this book is definitely more of a slowburn that was a little boring at times but ultimately paid off in the end.
during my reading experience, i really was so back-and-forth on the validity of selina dawes and her “powers” as a medium. one moment i was like omg wow this girl really can talk to spirits and the next i was just shaking my head over how silly people were to be believing her. and the ENDING got me good in this regard.
margaret was an interesting narrator. i felt for her in terms of wanting more independence and wanting connections to the women, specifically selina, at the prison even when these maybe weren’t the best relationships. i liked that this book was told in epistolary format, i’m always a sucker for that.
deeply sorry that ENDING dhdjhshd really has me gooped. seeing how the pieces all fell into place…good stuff. maybe i’m easily impressed but i truly did not see it coming.
this book is definitely more of a slowburn that was a little boring at times but ultimately paid off in the end.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use and Suicide attempt
sarah_i_jackson's review
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- 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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, and Drug abuse
Minor: Abortion
achillea's review
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Ok this book isn't bad but very much not my cup of tea. Don't have the spoons to say more but I might have enjoyed it more if I read it when I was in a different headspace - wherever it is that I am right now, there was no room for this book and I feel like I wasted my time with it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Drug use, and Torture
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Child death, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
annie_lulu's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide attempt and Suicidal thoughts
eleanorryd's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
While reading it, it felt a bit slow, but once I got to the end it was all sooooo worth it. Other than the sometimes slow pace and the very long chapters (not all of them, but the ones that aren't short are looooong), I really have nothing to complain about. I love the characters - Margaret and Helen are sometimes a bit annoying but that feels intentional, I think - the gaol is an amazing setting (especially when Margaret talks to the porter near the end and he describes how it moves and cracks and floods and feels alive, those paragraphs were just so beautiful). I don't want to spoil it too much, but for anyone considering DNFing: THE ENDING IS WORTH IT.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, and Grief
Minor: Blood, Body horror, Death, Drug use, Gore, Suicide attempt, and Toxic relationship
There are brief descriptions of self-inflicted injuries and general illness in the gaol, as well as the main character dealing with grief over her dead father and her suicide attempt in connection with that. Her mother is not the most understanding woman, but I would not call it abuse.
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