Reviews

Chlorine by Jade Song

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Chlorine was an excellent ride from start to finish. I loved the writing style. It was quickly paced and raw. Song does a great job of creating a main character with a consistent voice that matches the age and time of the story being told. It was nuanced and captivating. The surrounding characters held the same kind of authenticity. The people that I disliked were because they were meant to be disliked. Their behavior was awful, but rang true. It was skillful writing that evoked emotion and kept me glued to the page. Add in the queer elements and the tinges of horror, and you have a winning combination all around. This is such a strong debut novel. I am excited to see what Song does from here.

madig81's review against another edition

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dark reflective tense medium-paced

4.0

a little emotionally detached for me but otherwise very well written and creative

honey_crystals's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I didn't go into the book with any expectations, but I was pleasantly surprised. I finished this book as quickly as I did because the writing was as snappy and as brutal as a snake, with the same amount of bite too. This is definitely going to be a weird and almost twisted good time for Earthlings fans.

I don't know, and I don't want to know, if there is an official interpretation of Ren's desire and descent (ascent?) into being a mermaid, but I feel like it was related to her fatal pursuit of perfection of the self.

Content Warnings