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kato_dg's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Moderate: Murder, Sexual assault, Child death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Violence, Alcohol, Death, Rape, Suicide attempt, Grief, Racism, Sexual content, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, and Terminal illness
Minor: Animal death, Medical content, and Blood
ohyeah_karyn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Grief, Incest, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Abandonment, Death, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, and Rape
yaizacanopoli's review
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Death of parent, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Child death, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Sexism, Animal death, Misogyny, and Alcohol
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
pumpkinpie4me's review
3.5
Minor: Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Racism, and Rape
johaenen'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? It's complicated
4.5
Minor: Rape, Child abuse, Murder, Sexual violence, and Violence
lizzie24601's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Grief and Kidnapping
Moderate: Child death, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Murder, and Physical abuse
Minor: Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicide, and Violence
annielou95's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
My only issue is personal and that is that I prefer characters who sit in a grey area of morality but one character specifically was painted as basically evil and there's nothing that ever could have been done about it because it was in his genes. A totally fair writing choice, just not one that worked for me.
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Sexual violence
heartbrekker's review
4.0
I enjoyed this novel immensely. The first sixty pages are intense and a tad complicated, but upon passing them, the novel was phenomenal.
There’s so much the reader questions throughout the reading process. It isn’t until those last hundred pages that everything comes to light and fruition, and as expected, the truth is very upsetting. The intrigue and mystery is hands down one of the best aspects of this novel because Setterfield is great at laying it out but not giving anything away. I was constantly wondering how certain storylines fit together, and I didn't expect it to weave together as seamlessly as it did. It was like magic, and yes, the pun is intended.
Also the novel is great at depicting loss, PTSD, and the complexity of family. I just want to hug everyone because the world is so cruel sometimes! Family is such an underrated aspect to novels, and this one truly had me feeling ever emotion known to mankind.
I adored the references and importance of the river. The whole time it was this powerful force that really just urges the plot forward where you realize it or not. I also thought the river may be drowned out throughout the course of the story by events happening but that was not the case at all. If anything the river becomes EVEN more imperative to the plot. It shows the importance of this river not only to these characters but to the city/ time period as well. I don't think we think about how incredible things like rivers are. We just go around soaking in their normalcy in our lives.
The setting (besides the river) also deserves praise because it felt like the Darwinian Age. Rita, a nurse, and Daunt, a photographer, are the symbols of technology and innovation throughout the story, and their contrast to the storyline was my favorite. Furthermore, their interactions left me squealing A LOT. Rita is such a solid feminist figure of the time, whether she believes herself to be one or not, and I found myself sitting up a little straighter whenever she worked her magic. Daunt too fascinated me with his passion for photography and helping people.
All in all, I recommend this story to people who tend to read adult novels. I say this because the plot and pacing is much slower than YA, so I feel YA readers will become bored very quickly. The mystery within this novel is also very unclear, and it takes lots of dissection to keep it straight. It’s a wonderful story, but it’s not for the faint of heart.
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Physical abuse
Moderate: Racism and Sexual violence
Depressionlanskaya's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Grief, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Child abuse, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Rape, Physical abuse, and Murder
Minor: Animal death and Bullying
dwellordream's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Sexual violence