Scan barcode
juniperbranches's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Child death, Confinement, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Drug abuse, Sexual assault, Blood, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, and Racism
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 workbella_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
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