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dazzle_spider_reader_1212's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Rape, Abandonment, Alcohol, Blood, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infertility, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Minor: Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Addiction, Medical content, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Trafficking, and Vomit
rhi_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Misogyny, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Body horror, Murder, and Sexism
Moderate: Blood, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, and Rape
Minor: Gun violence, Torture, Cannibalism, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Trafficking, and Confinement
azazellos_fang's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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: Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, Trafficking, Domestic abuse, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Grief, and Toxic relationship
vonfluffypants's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Violence, Sexism, Misogyny, Gore, and Pregnancy
remaininlullaby's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
the whole "love doesn't have rules or a cost & also isn't necessarily good all the time" was a cool touch tho.
Graphic: Abandonment, Pregnancy, and Misogyny
Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Murder, Death of parent, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Trafficking, Child abuse, and Alcoholism
Minor: Infertility, Rape, Homophobia, and Medical trauma
howdyhoward's review against another edition
2.0
I really dislike when we're in a character's head but we don't get their backstory/why they're doing what they're doing so their actions seem to not make sense even though THEY know why they're doing it. I just feel like I'm being lied to in cases like that. Everything was revealed later and yes it makes sense looking back but I still feel like I'm being led on and manipulated by the author in a way I don't like.
I had a really hard time with the pacing and thought it ground to a standstill for 50 pages right before the end. I also thought the romance was tacked on and completely unnecessary. I didn't really like any of the characters by the end and was just kind of waiting for it to be over :/
Graphic: Pregnancy, Rape, Domestic abuse, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Alcohol and Alcoholism
Minor: Torture and Trafficking
cassie7e's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I read this book with very little knowledge of what I was getting into beyond "people who eat books" and that made every layer of context a wonderful discovery! I loved the ominous oppressive atmosphere, the literary references, the nonlinear timeline, the nuanced internal conflicts given the external circumstances. This book is fantastic for the story itself, and on top of that provided some much needed representation.
I think what keeps this from being a 5-star for me is that it is not invested in a lot of world-building. I don't think that hurts this story necessarily but I generally prefer books with more intrigue and complex details.
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Violence, and Body horror
Moderate: Blood, Misogyny, and Sexism
Minor: Death, Sexual violence, Alcohol, Cannibalism, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Stalking, Pregnancy, and Sexual assault
anastasiamakes's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Cannibalism, Grief, Misogyny, Murder, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Death, Blood, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, and Rape
Minor: Alcohol, Confinement, Cursing, Gun violence, Slavery, and Vomit
bubbly_lara's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
The setting, atmosphere and mood were very dark and gloomy, but in a good way (reminded me a bit of Silvia Moreno-Garcia's "Mexican Gothic").
I really liked the story, the characters and the writing style. Highlighted quite a lot of quotes, I'll put three further down below.
The themes of chosen/found family and trying to find who you are as a person outside of the people you grew up with, what is expected of you vs the pursuit of what makes you happy deeply resonated with me.
Highly recommend if you're looking for a slightly spooky, rather dark and grim story of a young mother trying to break her son and herself free from familial chains and expectations, hoping to one day have a better life for themselves.
"Memory was an anchor. It could ground you in a storm, keep you from drifting.
But anchors could also weigh you down and keep you from sailing free."
"For here was the thing that no fairy tale would ever admit, but that she understood in that moment: love was not inherently good."
"- What price do you put on love?
- No price. There isn't one. Love doesn't have a cost. It's just a choice you make."
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcoholism, Blood, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Grief, Gun violence, Violence, and Abandonment
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Violence, Gore, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Alcohol, Grief, Infertility, Blood, Classism, Physical abuse, Gaslighting, Pregnancy, and Body horror
Minor: Incest, Outing, Rape, Torture, Trafficking, and Adult/minor relationship
laylagrace's review against another edition
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Cursing, Gore, and Torture
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Pregnancy, Blood, and Body horror