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berls's review
- 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
- child abuse
- rape
- sexual violence
- drug abuse
- trafficking
Here's the thing - this book is essentially about generational poverty, racism, and immigrant life - and the very real consequences on the children. We follow the life of one girl in particular - knowing from the start that it has a tragic end. And as you read her story and the story of her ancestors, you see how if she had just had this one opportunity, or if her mother had just had that one better decision, or if her ancestors had just had that one better chance, how things could have turned out some differently. And as her path crosses others, you see similar stories of poverty and resulting abuse that just breaks your heart for how tragically real you know it is.
I don't think I would have ever picked up or finished this book if I weren't buddy reading it with my brother. But I'm honestly glad I read it, because it was impactful. And while I can't say it ended happily - how could it? - it does have a happy twist that I brought a happy tear to my eyes.
Graphic: Child abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Racism, Addiction, and Trafficking
ka_cam'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Rape, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Trafficking, Child abuse, Violence, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Drug abuse, Death, Body horror, Blood, Abandonment, and Addiction
Moderate: Kidnapping, Alcohol, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, Racism, Racial slurs, Misogyny, Medical content, and Colonisation
Minor: Animal cruelty, Car accident, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Eating disorder, and Dysphoria
Additional content warnings: child welfare systems, group homes, explicit descriptions of rape of a child and other child sexual and physical abuse, explicit descriptions of sex in the context of sex workba1l3y's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Murder, Sexual violence, Child abuse, and Trafficking
jenabest's review
3.0
The first while, I was really wondering if I wanted to continue. Then the writing became very engaging.... Until the subject turned into everything dark and horrid about humans. Rape, murder, child abuse, addiction. All-in-all, very heavy.
Moderate: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Rape, Murder, and Child abuse
bella_cavicchi's review
- 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? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Addiction, Rape, Self harm, Animal cruelty, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Excrement, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Misogyny
Moderate: Cursing, Alcohol, Violence, and Alcoholism
laurarevelesg's review
- 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
2.5
Why? I miss my dad too.
Yes, but there's just too many ways to miss your mother. There's like a hundred thousand ways"
Me tomó 4 meses leer esta novela porque cada cierto tiempo tenía que dejarla debido a la dureza de sus temas. Ahora que la terminé, solo puedo decir que tengo sentimientos encontrados.
La protagonista, Marina, sufre de todo tipo de violencia. Leer sobre esto, tragedia tras tragedia, fue exhaustivo. Sin embargo, esto no quiere decir que la historia de Marina, así como la de otras mujeres (ficticias y reales) no sea importante o no deba ser contada.
Las notas de autor finales dan nuevos ojos para apreciar la novela, por eso, a pesar de que el "trayecto" fue duro, y pocas veces disfrutable, regresar a la novela da una sensación agridulce, pues es tan cruel como bella.
Algo que no disfruté fue la intercalación entre los capítulos y la narración del aswang. Me ppareció que me distraía más de lo que verdaderamente guiaba la historia. Además, como había capítulos muy largos, al llegar a la parte del aswang ya no recordaba muy bien todo lo que había sucedido anteriormente.
Graphic: Car accident, Child abuse, Classism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Gaslighting, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death, Abandonment, Blood, Domestic abuse, Rape, Violence, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence
aubrey's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
Graphic: Trafficking, Animal death, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence, and Animal cruelty
bookmaddie's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I knew it revolved around a girl named Marina and her killing by a serial killer in Canada, but I didn't realize how much darker and sadder the story would get as it delves into Marina's past and how she wound up at the hands of such a horrible man. And while so many horrible things are told within these pages, Chadbum writes with tenderness, understanding and hope.
Outside of subject matter, I did have a bit of trouble getting into the story. It took maybe 30% of the book for me to start getting into it and reading at a steadier pace. I think Chadbum's writing just didn't connect with me as much as I wanted it to. And maybe also had to do with the fact that a lot of the early narrative is about Marina as a young girl (below 11ish), and I feel like I don't enjoy narratives that focus on young children as much. When she got a bit older, I got more interested in the story.
I also thought the story might be a bit more mystical (and lyrical in the writing), so I think that threw me off a bit.
More of a 3.5 for me, but definitely one to pick up if you're interested in the premise!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced digital copy for review.
Graphic: Drug abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Addiction, Alcohol, Child abuse, Drug use, Sexual violence, and Murder
Moderate: Abandonment and Confinement
mattbenard'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? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Sexual violence, Child abuse, Murder, Drug abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, and Sexual assault
tenten's review
bad things already happened to Marina and i know there's more to come based on other reviews. the author of this novel has done reporting on the child welfare system and was featured on the Netflix doc, The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez so she's probably encountered some heavy horrible shit that might be the basis for the stuff that happens in this book. i couldn't even sit through five minutes of that documentary. this is too bleak for me, especially after just finding out about the SCOTUS draft opinion on overturning roe v wade. much too bleak.
i feel bad DNFing this, and i might pick it back up again considering it's not due back to the library for another 10 days and i'm already nearly halfway through it but idk man. it has great reviews and it is well-written and it's a debut by a woc featuring characters from a culture that i don't know much about but ... sheesh it's heavy
Graphic: Drug abuse, Sexual violence, Trafficking, Drug use, Murder, and Rape