You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Scan barcode
echolliot'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
4.25
Graphic: Death, Racism, Grief, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism
Moderate: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, and Death of parent
Minor: Incest, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, and Gaslighting
embersbooknook's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Car accident and Classism
Moderate: Incest, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Lesbophobia, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
kelisabeth's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
anni_banani'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
Yes girl! This was what i call a well executed book. Harrow not only accomplished what she set out to to but totally surpassed my expectations. If you are like me and have read other Harrow novels you know you are in for a MC who talks back, Kentucky, men with sexy tattoos on their forearms, worlds that bend to magic, generational curses (being broken), and a refresh from sexist tropes in fantasy. On top of all that which I already love, this book was a masterclass in pacing, I never got bored even during rising action or other slower parts of the story. I was thoroughly impressed. Her books always immerse me in the world which I attribute to how Harrow pulls us in by all 5 of our senses; totally enveloped. 5 stars is easy for me
Of course, I was so moved by the emotional message of this book, it brought me back to Ten Thousand Doors of January and The Once and Future Witches. It will keep you on your seat at the end with its twists and then have you chuckle “Oh Alix. I was most surprised by how much I loved the romance and that I was 100% rooting for them. it always impresses me when an author can so completely 180 flip my opinion so sincerely. I also really appreciated not one but both love interests are unattractive characters and have such a compelling love story.
-If you are tired of MCs who are somehow gloriously angelic-ly gorgeous, this is for you.
Other things to love
- A grumpy cat
- Homage to creepy children’s lit
- Smashing patriarchy classism
- Reclaiming white washed history
- A fun charming lighthearted and very fast read- not to be taken too seriously
Cons-
- I love Opals arc but yeah she is so stuck in her ways that I barely let it slide. Lots of eye rolls and chuckles at her self sabotage and stubbornness.
- I hold it against opal that her entire motivation in the book, sending jasper to the private school was something completely in the dark from him. I disagree with Harrow to make this choice. The scene where her and jasper finally talk was disappointing on opals half especially. I loved the development for Jasper overall but in this scenes especially. I don’t get why Opal didn’t at least acknowledge and take accountability for sending that Token Brown Kid photo
- Often the commentary on race in this book falls short
Hope you keep writing for a long time Ms Harrow!
Graphic: Sexism, Blood, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Alcoholism, Racism, Vomit, Grief, Abandonment, and Classism
Minor: Incest and Slavery
kmoz'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? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Body horror, Cursing, Blood, Car accident, and Classism
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
jennabi8's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This book is UNIQUE, in my opinion! The story is creatiiiivvve; sorry no spoilers here! The gothic and dark ambience of the town is written so consistently, it really sets and keeps the tone of the book! The chosen words and descriptions were, again unique, and align with theme so well. I genuinely enjoyed this book, its story and its unique energy.
Moderate: Slavery
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Incest, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment
crushh'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
5.0
Minor: Racism, Self harm, Car accident, Death of parent, and Classism
glassarrow917's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Car accident, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
_david_'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? It's complicated
4.0
I thoroughly enjoyed the logic used by the characters in the book. If they're acting irrational or making assumptions, they're aware of it and/or it's challenged later on. For a second I thought a cliché (key location hidden in plain sight) would be dragged out, but then a main character just plainly said "of course I already looked there, duh" a few pages later.
I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the house. It reminded me of Encanto's house but in a horror setting. You'll probably enjoy the characters if you like YA's. They have a lot of growth to do with big impacts of their lives. At certain moments, the main character's self-pity annoyed me and
The big lessons are a bit obvious in the book, but the main character actually points it out and sounds like she needs it, so I don't mind it as much.
A warning to people with trauma related to drowning or corruption (e.g. being blackmailed). Both are big themes in the book.
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Misogyny, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Murder, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Incest, and Slavery
Drowning, water Mines, claustrophobia Corruption: blackmailing, bribing, rich people fucking over local area/nature/people for the sake of earning more moneythedarkfields's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
At around 3/4, I was dying of agony (in the best way).
At the end... idk. It wasn't quite what I'd hoped. There was a lot of exposition. But it was also the culmination of things hinted at and bread crumbs dropped throughout; I always admire an expertly crafted plot. Overall, I loved the conclusion of the story. I think I just wanted a little more to the climax than we were given. I was left feeling not quite satisfied while still loving the resolution. Blargh.
Fantastic characters. Beautiful writing. Amazing ability to capture the ambiance of the town without spending any excess time describing it. The secret thing(s) related to the mist were extremely creepy and I wish there was more time spent on the mist (even though there was plenty). On that note, I'd actually say it was a really good length and well paced overall. Only some of the bits closer to the end felt a little more rushed than ideal.
Could be 3 stars, could be 5 stars. I'll probably need to read it again later to decide.
Would recommend to people who like horror/creepy mysteries, especially fans of Locke & Key, Pan's Labyrinth, and/or Coraline.
Moderate: Car accident and Death of parent
Minor: Death, Incest, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Fire/Fire injury