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reclusivebookslug's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- 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 beginning-middle felt slow and a bit exposition-heavy, but things pick up towards the end. I definitely didn't expect this book to go in the direction it did when I started reading.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Child death, Domestic abuse, Murder, and Animal death
gardens_and_dragons's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- 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
I think this was pretty good- an atmospheric gothic tale about the remaining heiress to a mysterious family and their lost fortune. It’s about finding out who you are by looking for your past - how it shaped you but how you shape yourself. It’s also about merfolk and folk creatures and bargains.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
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
Content Warnings
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
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Incest, and Murder
Minor: Child abuse, Death of parent, Incest, and Child death
purplesapphire's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
se deaI have to say, I almost DNFed this one once it was a third of the way in and nothing had seemed to happen for me. Then, one point made me stick around and the last quarter was a WILD ride. Definitely dark and sticks to the gothic genre well. Give it a longer chance than you might usually and you won't regret it. There are some good twists in there too.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Child death, and Incest
Moderate: Misogyny, Gaslighting, Murder, Blood, Grief, Emotional abuse, and Confinement
Minor: Sexual assault and Toxic relationship
xeniba's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
I found this verrrrry slow going and while it picked up near the end I found it very predictable. It’s one that interested me just enough to keep reading, but it could/should have been a DNF for me.
zenalth’s review captures pretty much exactly how I felt about this book.
zenalth’s review captures pretty much exactly how I felt about this book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Sexual content, and Physical abuse
arielkahn's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-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? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Sexual content
imaginaryalchemist's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
This is a dark, haunting fantasy story about family secrets and forging your own path.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
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.readwithbells's review against another edition
4.75
I loved this book. It was dark and full of fairytale magic and family curses and mermaids (I am such a sucker for mermaids). The main character was fabulous and I constantly found myself actually fist-bumping when she did cool things. It’s also the first book I’ve read in a single day in a long time! I really enjoyed it.
There is a certain rhythm to this prose, a cadence that really adds to the fairytale quality. Almost like you dug around in an attic and happened upon a fairytale you’ve never heard of before. I loved that the opening chapter had a narrator setting the scene and then the rest of the book was in first-person. I loved the kelpie and Delphine the automaton was so sad.
The one thing that stops this from being a five star book is some of the language really pulled me out of the story. Every time Miren meets a male fairytale creature she goes “he - for he was obviously male” like 🤦🏻♀️ . How are we supposed to know what genders look like for fairytale creatures? (Side note: gender dynamics are a huge part of this book so I understand this was in theming). But it did pull me out of the story. Also there was some weird fatphobia throughout; like Miren early on describes a girl who used to be her closest friend and, in her mind, feels like she’s better than her because she’s skinny which was weird and I didn’t like that very much.
As a whole, though, this was a wonderful fairytale romp and I will absolutely be reading the short stories to round out this world.
There is a certain rhythm to this prose, a cadence that really adds to the fairytale quality. Almost like you dug around in an attic and happened upon a fairytale you’ve never heard of before. I loved that the opening chapter had a narrator setting the scene and then the rest of the book was in first-person. I loved the kelpie and Delphine the automaton was so sad.
The one thing that stops this from being a five star book is some of the language really pulled me out of the story. Every time Miren meets a male fairytale creature she goes “he - for he was obviously male” like 🤦🏻♀️ . How are we supposed to know what genders look like for fairytale creatures? (Side note: gender dynamics are a huge part of this book so I understand this was in theming). But it did pull me out of the story. Also there was some weird fatphobia throughout; like Miren early on describes a girl who used to be her closest friend and, in her mind, feels like she’s better than her because she’s skinny which was weird and I didn’t like that very much.
As a whole, though, this was a wonderful fairytale romp and I will absolutely be reading the short stories to round out this world.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Murder, and Child death
Minor: Fatphobia
skrulls's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Child abuse, Child death, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Blood, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Confinement, Incest, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Alcohol, Stalking, and Alcoholism