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shimikonde's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: War, Violence, Toxic relationship, and Death
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Gaslighting
Starvation as a result of war is also described in significant detail.lisa_m's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.5
It was a complicated book to read mostly because I didn't know anything about russian mythology. It was still very interesting to read and though I didn't always enjoy it understand it I am definitely glad I read it and pushed through the difficult parts. I'm still not quite sure what to think but it definitely taught me a lot.
Graphic: Bullying, Kidnapping, Murder, Body horror, Death, Grief, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, and Blood
abominablesnowaro's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, and Confinement
Moderate: Child death, Sexual content, War, Torture, Violence, Blood, Body horror, Death, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, and Physical abuse
Starvationthewordsdevourer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
however, i personally feel that this focus on hammering home the themes might have taken a toll on the story and its ~purely story~ aspect. the book's jam-packed w/ themes and while it's indeed--as a review puts it--bold and subversive, it's also confusing and somehow confoundingly lacking. while marya and koschei def deals w/ themes of love and power, i feel that their scope of story is not expansive enough to deal w/ life and death. the story's partly set in russia during world war ii, led by characters who fight decades long battles, yet a majority of it reads like a domestic drama of an open relationship. i wouldve liked more depiction of the gap between the end of part 2 and start of part 3: what was koschei and marya's relationship like during at least some of the interim 13 yrs? how was marya during her first few battles? a lot went into the start of the leads' relationship, but not enough was illustrated of its everyday meat and subtance. it just feels like a good chunk of the book shows things after they happen, and the few action it shows is not very substantial.
also i dont truly like any of the characters?? not asking for black-and-white characters who are all good or bad, but somehow they're all at least a lil unlikable lol. and after a winding path towards the end, i dont even rly get the ending either, and idk if it's bc im too dumb to understand or if the msg's too obfuscated at that point. this had a lot more potential and im just very sad that it wasnt explored.
Graphic: War, Death, Infidelity, and Sexual content
Moderate: Violence, Confinement, Stalking, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Child death, and Kidnapping
korpney's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Death, Violence, and War
Moderate: Blood and Child death
kingorgan's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Moderate: Death, Gaslighting, and Gun violence
ryuk's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Grief, and Sexual content
latveria's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Child death, Death, Grief, Infidelity, and Sexual content
lasbrumas'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
4.0
It should be noted for anyone reading this for the first time, there are times this book gets mildly NSFW (spoilered for that content)
The prose was excellent, so I couldn't find complaints there. I will say that based on others' reviews and stuff I saw on Tumblr, I went in expecting a much different book, though. Despite that, I wasn't disappointed, really? The way the book is written is much more reminiscent of fairy tales than any standard novel with a hero's journey or similar plot. There's a sort of circularness to the plot and a timelessness, despite the book's events being set during WWII. I could tell Valente really did her research into both the fairytales and the culture and setting of Russia during that time period. Even the tiniest detail felt like Valente had worked on getting it as accurate as possible. I'm not Russian though, so I would be interested to see what others from there think.
Honestly, the only reason this isn't a five is because the book didn't blow me away. It was written well and culturally rich, but in the end the plot was just okay. The characters I can't say I liked? But more in a sense that I would never want to be their friends. They're all pretty terrible people, but that's the point. They are as mean and nasty as they can be kind when it comes to it.
Overall, would I recommend it? Yes. Would I call it the greatest thing I read last year (even if I only just finished it this year)? Not really. I much preferred the immersiveness of other books. But in the end, it's not a bad book.
Moderate: Death, Vomit, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Sexual content
stwriter92's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
One thing this book showed me was how little I know of Russian folklore and history. I had to constantly look up new information, which (in my humble opinion) was one of the best parts. Learning new information and applying it to my understanding of the story was like watching a 10,000 piece puzzle slowly come together. The writing in this story was so heartbreakingly poetic. I could feel my chest getting tight just from reading the words on the page. As a reader, this is one of my favorite feelings. It is a sign that I have truly fallen completely and under the story’s spell.
My thoughts are still a bit scrambled, so I’m going to actually link to some amazing analyses of this book. Beware, they are analyses and are therefore NOT SPOILER FREE. I suggest reading the book with little to no prior knowledge of it and then learning as you go.
If you are a fan of dark stories, Russian folklore, and the true embodiment of beautiful storytelling, I highly recommend this book.
Analyses
Analysis 1 mostly focusing on the ending part in Yaichka: https://gatheringbones.tumblr.com/post/131312671780
Analysis 2 Another Understanding of the ending: https://mashamorevna.tumblr.com/post/85789279318/reply-to-anon-questions-i-got-about-the-deathless
Postscript:
This book took me ages to read not through any fault of its own. I’ve been in a reading slump that I have managed to claw myself out of at the eleventh hour of this godforsaken year. I think I will be ringing in 2021 by reading the hell out of another book. Toodles.
Moderate: Death, Blood, Torture, and Sexual content