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this_little_bookshelf's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Aina and Whitney are exiled to an island for a crime they have committed and they are held there by the need to take pills every eight hours for survival.
This was an eerie dystopian book, and I couldn’t put it down. It was simultaneously a slow build, but also compelling as details of their world and their crime were revealed.
This was an eerie dystopian book, and I couldn’t put it down. It was simultaneously a slow build, but also compelling as details of their world and their crime were revealed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Abortion
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Animal death, Sexual assault, and Child abuse
lianne_rooney's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Physical abuse, Pandemic/Epidemic, Abortion, Pregnancy, Death, Confinement, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Forced institutionalization, and Animal cruelty
bex_knighthunterbooks's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- 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
4.5
A mysterious and tense literary thriller that absolutely drew me in. I have a lifelong obsession with homesteading and survival stories and so I loved all the details of their day-to-day lives on the remote Scottish island in the slower paced parts of the book, and then I loved towards the end where the reveals were being dropped thick and fast among quite a lot of action. While not scary enough to be horror, this definitely had an unsettling vibe and a slow creeping dread as the relationship between our two main characters erodes and their situation becomes more risky. The writing had a simple sparse style but with some nice recurring motifs (e.g. 'Yan, tan, methera') which gave it that literary almost poetic edge at times. While I loved the sense of place and survival details, discussing this at book club did make me realise quite how many world building and plot elements don't quite make sense or are left unexplained even when a little far fetched (e.g. I'm fine that we never found out why the pills were needed because we can form our own theories, but the obscene number of them that were stored at this croft and the overengineering could have done with more explanation for me ). However, personally this didn't really hinder my enjoyment, but I can see why this would affect others. The situation in the wider world is revealed through flashbacks although this was really only enough to help us understand the characters rather than to give much depth to the dystopia depicted - the flashbacks were probably my least favourite parts so it was fine for me that we focussed on the present day situation. This was another good reminder for me that if a book sounds like my thing it is probably worth me giving it a try despite mixed reviews because I had a fantastic time reading this and would read it again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion, Emotional abuse, Gore, and Murder
Moderate: Pregnancy and Animal death
Minor: Sexual assault and Forced institutionalization
sharron_joy_reads's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Aina and Whitney are in exile on an island because of a crime they committed 12yrs ago, kept alive by a machine that dispenses a pill every 8 hours they are nearing parole. But the warden hasn’t contacted them for years and it feels like they might be truly alone.
This is literary fiction and an interesting idea, the world they come from is told in recollections and seems bleak and controlled. What are the pills for? What crime did they commit? These are the questions that keep you reading. They have been alone, fending for themselves, they are married but the love and trust they once had is now replaced with doubt and paranoia. There are hints of a changed world, will they choose to leave and find out what’s out there, is there anything?
This is a compelling read, very wordy but beautifully descriptive. The final third I felt lost its way a little and seemed rushed but the story lingers long after you’ve finished.
Content Warnings
Minor: Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Pregnancy, and Abortion
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