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itsheyfay's review
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Graphic: Death, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Child death, Murder, Violence, Abandonment, and Outing
Moderate: Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Confinement, Medical content, Vomit, Classism, Death of parent, and Cancer
Minor: Infidelity, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, and Rape
lornography's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Murder, Lesbophobia, Emotional abuse, Grief, Terminal illness, Alcoholism, Abandonment, Child death, Child abuse, and Death of parent
Moderate: Violence, Dementia, Suicide, Homophobia, Sexism, Gore, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Confinement, and Kidnapping
Minor: War, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Rape, Colonisation, and Suicide attempt
camillessi's review
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.75
This was an enjoyable gothic read that was a breeze to get through. The tension stayed consistent, making me want to read more, without feeling overbearing. However, because the comparison to Sarah Waters is what caught my eye in the beginning, I found myself a little more critical than I might have been otherwise.
The prose flowed well, but sometimes felt inconsistent. Sometimes it would be drawn-out and flowery, or feeling very of-the-era. Other times, it would read quite modern and simple. Neither is bad, but the inconsistency sometimes drew me out of the story.
The characters also fell a little flat for me. I could see and understand what the story was trying to do with the two sisters, but I never felt like I could hold on to one thing about them. I wasn't always convinced by what we were being told about them—possibly because much of the time, we were being told things about them rather than seeing it.
But all in all, this book was exactly what it said on the tin: a twisty gothic historical novel with a sapphic romance. I would recommend it for readers of Penner & Waters, but perhaps more for the basics of the story, and not necessarily the writing style. I'm also happy to have another historical sapphic novel to add to the slowly-growing list.
Graphic: Physical abuse
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Confinement, Terminal illness, Child death, Death of parent, and Homophobia
Minor: Suicide
malily8312's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Arc provided by Atria books via NETGALLEY in exchange for an honest review
Moderate: Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Confinement, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Suicide, Alcoholism, Child death, Dementia, Child abuse, Homophobia, and Rape