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elfeeza's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
It was so craftily written and I would have to say that it is the best mystery/thriller I have ever read. I haven’t read that many but this one is by far the best.
The author obviously put so much thought into crafting the story and the way the author revealed how all the main players in the book are connected to each other is so well-written and planned out.
The build up freaked me out and got me curious at the same time. The climax of the story had me holding my breath in anticipation and got me questioning if I could speed up the audiobook anymore without me losing comprehension of the narration. The ending was satisfying and brought my heart down to normal again. And then, as much as I wanted to hate this book because I didn’t know going into it that it was from the gothic horror genre and I was got so frightened of the scary parts of this book that as I was reading/listening to them I told myself that I am not going to continue on with the series, I couldn’t and I had to give it 5 stars. This book did everything it was meant to do. It was that good. And now I need to catch my breath and calm down before I can read another book.
Will I continue on with the series? I still don’t know but one thing is for sure. I am curious.
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Sexual harassment
pr3rn4's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.0
TW: sexual assault, rape
The book even minimises and blames sexual assault onto the victim.
Moderate: Misogyny and Sexual assault
r_b_c's review against another edition
Moderate: Misogyny
littlebook's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
Moderate: Misogyny and Sexism
schwabbelliese's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
What I did have issue with was the overall pacing of the book. It is, to put it simply, just weird. The time span inbetween events is often hard to follow and fully comprehend. And I just feel like that is super unnecessary.
The novel was definitly drawn out too long for a plot that wasn't really that complicated.
The female characters were rather out of touch and of little depht or impotance. Mostly just existing so the male charcters could fawn over them for reasons that if existent at all, aren't illustrated very well. And even tough it seems obvouis that Zafón uses a specific image of or attitude towards women to embed his story even deeper in it's historical setting, he still could have put more effort in.
Graphic: Violence, Police brutality, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Hate crime, Incest, Misogyny, and Excrement
Minor: Homophobia, Physical abuse, Rape, Antisemitism, Mass/school shootings, Lesbophobia, and War
bluejay21's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia, Incest, Misogyny, Police brutality, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual harassment
florafauna's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Ableism, Death, Homophobia, Incest, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Police brutality, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Blood, Antisemitism, and Alcohol
Minor: Chronic illness, Gore, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Torture, Excrement, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Outing, Toxic friendship, and War
sherbertwells's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
“I imagined Julián Carax at my age, holding that image in his hand, perhaps in the shade of the same tree that now sheltered me. I could almost see him smiling confidently, contemplating a future as wide and luminous as that avenue, and for a moment I thought there were no more ghosts there than those of absence and loss and that the light that smiled on me was borrowed light, real only as long as I could hold it in my eyes, second by second” (147)
Graphic: Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Blood, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Racial slurs, Forced institutionalization, and War
mesi_reads'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
3.75
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Grief, Murder, and War
Minor: Bullying, Incest, and Abortion
lyricallit's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Ultimately though I got really tired with the portrayal of women. All the women are secondary/tertiary characters who are usually victims who serve to further the mens' plots or to reveal a man's vile abuse. Especially since
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexual violence, Violence, Police brutality, and Sexual harassment