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beetree's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Child death, Genocide, and Violence
Moderate: Antisemitism
tiernanhunter's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Child death, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Self harm, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Antisemitism, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation
liv_easton's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.75
In either case, halfway through the story was a bit long to finally drop the curtain on what we needed to know about magic in the novel. Couple that with a POV that is often unappealing to read and also refuses to give the reader any information for a couple hundred pages (I'm looking mostly at you, Isaac, but occasionally at Bellatine), and I didn't think that this book would ever become a novel I was actually invested in. However, I'm happy to say that I was wrong on that count—once Bellatine's magic was revealed, the story and characters seemed to open up and get me invested in the story enough that I would have given the story a 3.5 stars (the last .25 coming from my affection for the type of ending the story ends up having).
The major highlight that kept me reading was every chapter the house told, as the house was by far and away the most compelling character and also the best storyteller of the lot by far. On the whole, I think this is a super worthwhile book to read, and if you need to skim some of the first 20 or so chapters to get through it, I get it.
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Violence, Antisemitism, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment
Moderate: Blood
sensiblesidekick's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Moderate: Antisemitism
amandadevoursbooks's review against another edition
5.0
We've got a sentient house with chicken legs, puppets, two not always likeable siblings with interesting powers, and a haunting of trauma chasing them across the world. Through this, Nethercott weaves themes of trauma, recovery, identity, memory, and community. It's beautifully written, and I will definitely do a reread to annotate say some point.
Reading it right now, as the world continues to witness genocide, is haunting and hopeful. If you're on the fence or concerned about it's size, if suggest giving it a good try.
Graphic: Genocide, Xenophobia, and Antisemitism
Moderate: Violence and Fire/Fire injury
imds's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment
taotechump'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? It's complicated
4.0
Moderate: Antisemitism
vagrantheather's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The prose is really nice and the audiobook narrator (January LaVoy) did a lovely job. I liked the Yaga family characters, Winifred, Benji - but was not big on the adjacent bus crew. They lacked substance.
The main themes - the enduring legacy of cultures in the stories of descendents, the destructive power of fear, multigenerational trauma - were powerful.
Moderate: Child death, Hate crime, Xenophobia, and Antisemitism
Minor: Death and Fire/Fire injury
readwriterobyn'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
Moderate: Child death, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Racism, Self harm, Suicide, Violence, Antisemitism, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
nisaak's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Child death, Genocide, Violence, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, and Murder