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reclusivebookslug'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
3.0
The convention of foreshadowing/explaining things through in-fixtion stories was really cool.
I didn't understand the thing with the automaton at all. Either I'm missing something or that whole thing felt really out of place.
I hear there are more books set in this universe, and I plan to give those a go as well.
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Child death, Domestic abuse, Murder, and Animal death
flyingwuzzle's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Kidnapping, Gore, Death of parent, Sexism, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Slavery, Alcohol, Sexual content, Incest, Child death, Abandonment, Blood, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, and Physical abuse
gardens_and_dragons's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
It had some great prose and wonderful world building. Either done via descriptions or done via thru the family book of tales. The vaguely Irish/Scottish influences here were great to pull from n
I would rate it higher if it had stuck a bit more to its feminist ideals. The main character is strong, but all the women in the book stand opposite her save one. It also has some elements of world building that ended up nowhere that I had wanted to see explored.
Graphic: Murder and Violence
Moderate: Abandonment and Incest
Minor: Child death
Biggest thing to know going in is that the family used to marry off first cousins to each other to “keep the blood pure”. It’s not explicitly ever shown on screen, it’s only just a terrible fact of the history of her family that’s discussed. It’s appropriately frowned on by her and everyone else save for the family itself.imds's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Miscarriage, Abandonment, Physical abuse, Xenophobia, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Incest, Body horror, Murder, Violence, Classism, Confinement, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Sexual violence, Self harm, Death of parent, Religious bigotry, and Misogyny
lindsayflor_95'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? No
4.5
Moderate: Sexual content, Incest, and Murder
Minor: Child abuse, Death of parent, Incest, and Child death
purplesapphire's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I also have to say I appreciated this version of a strong female MC and women in general. They were strong, vindictive, greedy, sly, soft, smart, kind, and feminine all in one without it being forced or badly written. They were just written as real people. Then you add the witch parts, and the ghouls parts and it makes for a great tale.
Graphic: Death of parent, Child death, and Incest
Moderate: Misogyny, Gaslighting, Murder, Blood, Grief, Emotional abuse, and Confinement
Minor: Sexual assault and Toxic relationship
yvonne_does's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Sexism, Suicide, and Abandonment
Moderate: Child death and Incest
Minor: Animal death
chainsiren's review
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Physical abuse, and Incest
imaginaryalchemist's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I loved the stories within the story that helped unravel the mystery of Miren's family. (They're apparently all in a collection AG Slatter wrote, and I'd love to read it if I can get my hands on a copy.)
I love stories with magical and supernatural elements, so I enjoyed the inclusion of mythical and folkloric creatures. Mer feature very heavily in the story, and it also has creatures such as selkies and kelpies.
I also enjoyed the way the story's many mysteries unravelled. It kept me engaged. I wanted to see Miren solve them and learn all her family's secrets.
Slatter's prose drew me in immediately. It helped paint the picture of the world Miren lives in.
Overall I greatly enjoyed this book! I highly recommend it for anyone who is interested in dark, gothic fantasy and folklore.
Moderate: Incest, Murder, and Child death
Minor: Domestic abuse and Sexual content
There are a couple scenes with sexual content but it doesn't get graphic. There are also mentions of the abuse Miren experiences at the hands of her cousin Aidan. There are, however, a lot of mentions of incest, child sacrifice, child death, and murder.vegtoble's review
- 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? No
5.0
Moderate: Child death