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clarabooksit's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I feel unequal to rating this story let alone reviewing it. Parts of this I loved: the use of language—(though not always—why describe a tongue as a mollusk while its in the act of kissing?)—the romanticism threaded throughout, and the glimpses of magic, theology, power and love that built snapshots of a lush, tantalizing world. But I also found so much confusing—(what is this world? where is Demane from and what brought him here? was this also sci-fi?)—the world-building was more of a tease than a fulfillment, and it wasn’t until the very end that this novella gains any kind of momentum.
In addition, for all the high praises women receive from the narrator, where were they on page and why did one of the few brief scenes with a female have to be a child prostitute?
The real kicker, for me, is that I think that this is meant to be a love story but the reader has no idea until the very, very end, by which point the reader hasn’t been given enough to be invested in it. There was so much potential here and I wanted more.
Again though, I’m not sure I fully comprehended this story and perhaps am not the best person to be reviewing it. I definitely think reading rather than listening to the audiobook would have served me better here. A reread might be in order as I think a lot of the confusion was with me, though I also think the nonlinear storytelling didn’t quite work, especially as it isn’t a consistent part of the storytelling.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Misogyny and Sexism
Minor: Homophobia, Pedophilia, and Drug use
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