Scan barcode
muchadoaboutliz'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? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Cursing, Drug use, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
emmirosereads's review against another edition
3.0
My biggest gripe with the book was its pacing. I attempted to read this on my Kindle but couldn't get into it so I tried the audiobook which was better but it still took me till about 50% of the way through the really be invested and even then I wasn't completely invested. I also had some issues with the worldbuilding. I don't know if lackluster is the right description because the foundation is there and good but I almost wish there were more fantasy elements to it. The book is on the shorter side so it is a bit hard to give a full lush world in that amount of time.
I liked it well enough but didn't love it and was a little bored for most of it I hate to admit but I definitely think this is worth giving a try if you think you might enjoy it!
Graphic: Misogyny
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Sexual harassment
wooblatoober's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
i really loved some aspects of this book but was really bothered by others—i loved the imagery & the metaphors really made me feel the way i believe the author wanted me to feel. parts were very cozy in ways i haven’t felt since i was probably 14. i LOVED the love interest & i had a huge crush on him because he’s so perfect. whenever there was a scene without him, i wanted him to come back, & i believe reid did a good job of making him incredibly caring while still empowering the female lead. the book covered serious topics regarding misogyny & sexual assault very well,
my complaint is this: effy’s fucking racist. & i love a problematic character who grows & learns lessons & changes, BUT SHE FUCKING DOESN’T!!! it’s just not dealt with well & leaves a bad taste in my mouth. she even calls him slurs at one point and i don’t think she ever took accountability for that at all??? like it seems like she got an argantian boyfriend so she’s absolved of all racism against argantians. it really just gives, “i can’t be racist because my boyfriend’s argantian (or insert any race/ethnicity/nationality in place of that).” book is also hypnotically caucasian, which, like, i know it’s set in a fictional place based on wales & england, but it’s a FICTIONAL PLACE so do all these characters really gotta be beans and toast ass motherfuckers?? last complaint, she throws her long blonde hair into a messy bun 👎
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, and Colonisation
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Sexual content, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Confinement, Racial slurs, Rape, Violence, Kidnapping, and War
edilyaaang's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.75
Got really confused about everything at first especially because there were lots of gaps in the beginning. There were times that that I rolled my eyes hard at some parts but in the end I felt like those things married the story together in a way that gave it more depth.
But whew, I did not expect the story to turn that way. Though I have already guessed some parts of the story, the plots twists blew my mind off.
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, and Classism
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, and Grief
Minor: Animal death, Confinement, and Violence
sydresnik's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Stalking, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
pinkhyxteria's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Xenophobia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment
reddeddy's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, Stalking, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Classism
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Chronic illness, Death, Drug use, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Car accident, Alcohol, Colonisation, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation
desiderium_incarnate'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
4.5
For most of the book I was unsure how reliable Effy was as a narrator but I think think that might reflect more on me than it does on the book. It really is beautifully written, I just have one issue: Everyone mentions how smart and brave Effy is and of course, yes, she is, but whyyyy did you not go talk to the secretive and reclusive widow of your favorite author when you had the chance? Like you literally did everything including destruction and theft of property and nearly dying in a drowned basement instead of trying to communicate with people that are there and have not explicitly told you to fuck off yet. I was just waiting for them to get to that for nearly half the book so that was incredibly frustrating.
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Medical content, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism
growplantsreadbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
The author put a lot of effort into the worldbuilding, but the world wasn't different from ours in any significant way. It was so clearly inspired by real, specific regional folklore. It felt like the author changed the names so she could have a reason for her protag. to be weirdly very prejudiced against her future love interest without the reader getting uncomfortable by the implications of it being real cultures.
The romance was sweet, but it took them too long to get together so
Lastly, the plots reliance on "happenstance" to find evidence was... a bit much! It felt a little Scooby Do at times.
Regardless, I really loved reading it and will recommend it to any teen who likes gothic romance.
It handled trauma in a very sensitive way and I did really like Preston as a love interest - though reading this did make me want a cig lol.
Moderate: Sexual assault, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
emilywemily6'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
3.25
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: War