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4.51 AVERAGE
4.51 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Burned through the back half of this book today after pausing bc i started with the audiobook and it expired, this is the most relatable of whites characters yet holy shit this book is going to be like the rabbit gnawing at the inside of my ribcage now im soooo excited for the upcoming adult book
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deadnaming, Sexism, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abortion, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Confinement, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Pregnancy
Minor: Miscarriage
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
Ohhhh my goddddddd
Love you daphne
Love you daphne
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
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
Let me start my review by saying I'm part of the LGBTQIA community.
I didn't think I'd like this book, because I do not ever find myself enjoying books that market themselves with the labels of the protagonist. AJW's books all lead with the labels their protagonist assigns to themselves, such as in the below summary from Amazon:
I didn't think I'd like this book, because I do not ever find myself enjoying books that market themselves with the labels of the protagonist. AJW's books all lead with the labels their protagonist assigns to themselves, such as in the below summary from Amazon:
London, 1883. The Veil between the living and dead has thinned. Violet-eyed mediums commune with spirits under the watchful eye of the Royal Speaker Society, and sixteen-year-old trans, autistic Silas Bell would rather rip out his violet eyes than become an obedient Speaker wife.
I understand that the marketing attempt is to gain the interest of people who are specifically looking for books about trans protagonists or autistic protagonists, but I don't particularly care about the labels. I want to read Silas's story because it's interesting, because the cover of the book is beautiful, because I've heard people talking about it. Having Silas reduced down to just "trans, autistic" actually makes me want to read the book less.
I think all of this being revealed up front actually cheapens the "reveals", such as Silas's name, the extent of their autistic tics and traits. We already know Silas is a boy being forced to live as his assigned-at-birth gender, we already know that Silas flaps his hands and fidgets and struggles with eye contact. It cheapens and robs the character of his chance to develop, and as a queer woman, I don't like being identified as just my labels either.
All that being said, the book ITSELF is absolutely fantastic. Silas is a great narrator who undergoes some serious character growth, and the assorted cast of characters were all fantastic. None of the reveals were particularly shocking to me, but what I was the most interested in was how these issues were dealt with, and I found the ending to be profoundly rewarding. It seems almost like it could be leaving the door open for a sequel, which I would absolutely adore.
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes