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adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
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
☆ Fun Factor 4/5 (I'm not sure I'd call this book "fun" it's very gut punching, but I breezed through it)
☆ Writing Style 5/5
☆ Characters 5/5 (A small cast that we spend a lot of time with)
☆ Plot 3/5 (predictable but hits HARD, and I mean hard.)
☆ Setting 5/5 (Gothic spooky vibes)
☆ Feels 5/5 (made me tear up)
☆ Spiciness 2/5 (sex scenes mostly relegated to fade to black but some of the foreplay and kissing happens on page)
☆ Gore 3/5
If this were a movie it'd be rated: R for mild sexual situations, violence, body horror, frequent mentions of sexual assault, PTSD/panic attack depictions, disturbing imagery, misogynistic language
☆FOR FANS OF: Dark fairy tales with feminist motifs
Ultimate verdict: ☆☆☆☆☆/5
☆☆☆Best Character Award goes to:☆☆☆ Effy
Review: This is for all the girls that no one believed
It's a book that means so much to me. It's about a young woman named Effy who's told to shut up and keep her head down and just be a good girl by everyone in her life, even her own mother. Nobody believes her story or what happened to her, so she just censors herself and makes herself small. It can get intensely uncomfortable because it's ultimately a story told through rather heavy handed allegory about women who are the victims of men. Sexual assault, lecherous comments, slut shaming, misogyny, and abuse. As such, this isn't exactly what I'd call a "lighthearted" read, nor do I really understand why this is marketed as YA. It was gut wrenching for me at times. There's so many women in our world who have their own Fairy King haunting their steps who are told to just ignore it, it's not real, he's not so bad. All these little comments are like bricks in the wall that women often hide themselves behind to stay safe and sane.
As such this story is going to hit HARD for survivors of abuse, assault, and misogyny. I saw myself in Effy as a survivor myself. This is an important book because in the end, she defeats her abuser and that's a message that anyone suffering through abuse needs to hear: You can make it through.
A phenomenal modern fairy tale that feels timeless at the same time. Absolutely adored and I will definitely pick up the sequel later this year.
☆ Writing Style 5/5
☆ Characters 5/5 (A small cast that we spend a lot of time with)
☆ Plot 3/5 (predictable but hits HARD, and I mean hard.)
☆ Setting 5/5 (Gothic spooky vibes)
☆ Feels 5/5 (made me tear up)
☆ Spiciness 2/5 (sex scenes mostly relegated to fade to black but some of the foreplay and kissing happens on page)
☆ Gore 3/5
If this were a movie it'd be rated: R for mild sexual situations, violence, body horror, frequent mentions of sexual assault, PTSD/panic attack depictions, disturbing imagery, misogynistic language
☆FOR FANS OF: Dark fairy tales with feminist motifs
Ultimate verdict: ☆☆☆☆☆/5
☆☆☆Best Character Award goes to:☆☆☆ Effy
Review: This is for all the girls that no one believed
It's a book that means so much to me. It's about a young woman named Effy who's told to shut up and keep her head down and just be a good girl by everyone in her life, even her own mother. Nobody believes her story or what happened to her, so she just censors herself and makes herself small. It can get intensely uncomfortable because it's ultimately a story told through rather heavy handed allegory about women who are the victims of men. Sexual assault, lecherous comments, slut shaming, misogyny, and abuse. As such, this isn't exactly what I'd call a "lighthearted" read, nor do I really understand why this is marketed as YA. It was gut wrenching for me at times. There's so many women in our world who have their own Fairy King haunting their steps who are told to just ignore it, it's not real, he's not so bad. All these little comments are like bricks in the wall that women often hide themselves behind to stay safe and sane.
As such this story is going to hit HARD for survivors of abuse, assault, and misogyny. I saw myself in Effy as a survivor myself. This is an important book because in the end, she defeats her abuser and that's a message that anyone suffering through abuse needs to hear: You can make it through.
A phenomenal modern fairy tale that feels timeless at the same time. Absolutely adored and I will definitely pick up the sequel later this year.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Xenophobia, Medical content, Stalking, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Classism
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A great novel that explores what it means to discover that your heroes are not as heroic as you thought, and experiences of sexism and violence towards women in academic circles, all wrapped up in a gothic fairytale aesthetic with a lovely sweet romance on the side! I did manage to predict the plot fairly easily, but I don’t think that took away from my reading experience - in fact, I would’ve been disappointed if I’d been wrong.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, Sexual harassment
Moderate: Dementia, Death of parent
Minor: Gun violence, War
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Sexual harassment
challenging
dark
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Grief, Abandonment, Sexual harassment
Minor: War
I wanted to like this the way I did the wolf and the woodsman but the protagonist is so racist in the first few chapters that I am having a hard time relating to her or her plight.
Her flaws are too forward with too few redeeming qualities to encourage further reading. The world building is flat and feels too direct to even be allegorical. It's just not whimsical. It's not driven.
Her flaws are too forward with too few redeeming qualities to encourage further reading. The world building is flat and feels too direct to even be allegorical. It's just not whimsical. It's not driven.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, War
And all of those triggers and slapped on you within the first three chapters.
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual harassment
Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Xenophobia, Blood
dark
emotional
inspiring
medium-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
wowwwwwwwwww what an amazingly written book! first the things i didnt like -- i agree with many that the beginning is a bit slow, i was certainly also rolling my eyes at the meek excuses to dislike P. as an academic rival and barely any of them making sense. and GOD the fact that she can recite not only an entire!! book!! line by line but also other niche poems of everyone??? this feels so absurd.
but man, the themes!!! and how lovely they are interwoven throughout the book, and how grippingly real Effy feels with all her doubts and struggles and illusions (or not?), i had shivers several times. i also reallly enjoyed the short lines from Angaharad sprinkled throughtout, the image of the sea haunting the pages, ("Before the ocean is friend or foe, it simply is. And so are you."), i liked the actual darkness of the academia (even if all of this is giving white femi)
i enjoyed how the same metaphor of the sea slowly eating away can make as much sense for a death and for sexual assault (and how easily a parallel can be drawn between a SA and death on its own), the eyes and the mirrors, the fairy king taking over as the way sexualised violence often progresses in intimate relationships, first it's rare, then becoming the norm until the person you once loved is gone entirely , and the sea!!! the horrible realisation of Ianto going "what i see before me is a drowning foundation and two fatherless children" or the end parallel of effy being talked over by three men about her work!!
it was really scary at time too, at time when you don't know if effy is imagining things, if she will be okay, if those things she is seeing are real or not - and it's hard to tell which one would be wworse
"tears, blood, and seawater -- all of it tasted the same. Salt and salt and salt."
"i refuse mirrors. i refuse them for you, and i refuse them for me, if you want to see what you are, look into the tide pools at dusk. look into the sea."
"you can die as esily of thirst as you can of drowning"
but man, the themes!!! and how lovely they are interwoven throughout the book, and how grippingly real Effy feels with all her doubts and struggles and illusions (or not?), i had shivers several times. i also reallly enjoyed the short lines from Angaharad sprinkled throughtout, the image of the sea haunting the pages, ("Before the ocean is friend or foe, it simply is. And so are you."), i liked the actual darkness of the academia (even if all of this is giving white femi)
i enjoyed how the same metaphor of the sea slowly eating away can make as much sense for a death and for sexual assault (and how easily a parallel can be drawn between a SA and death on its own), the eyes and the mirrors,
it was really scary at time too, at time when you don't know if effy is imagining things, if she will be okay, if those things she is seeing are real or not - and it's hard to tell which one would be wworse
"tears, blood, and seawater -- all of it tasted the same. Salt and salt and salt."
"i refuse mirrors. i refuse them for you, and i refuse them for me, if you want to see what you are, look into the tide pools at dusk. look into the sea."
"you can die as esily of thirst as you can of drowning"
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism
Moderate: Sexual assault, Death of parent, Sexual harassment
Minor: Xenophobia, Stalking, War
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-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
I loved the world-building in this book, the lore is quite unique and left me thinking about it even after I finished reading. It earned the book an extra .5 stars for me. The writing has lots of detailed descriptions and prose, which can be hit or miss with a lot of people, but I loved it. It was so atmospheric and immersive.
Effy and Preston are interesting and developed characters, and the romance was well paced with lots of chemistry.
Unfortunately the last quarter of the book let me down a bit. The pacing felt too fast then too slow, and the mysteries were wrapped up a bit clumsily in my opinion.
Effy and Preston are interesting and developed characters, and the romance was well paced with lots of chemistry.
Unfortunately the last quarter of the book let me down a bit. The pacing felt too fast then too slow, and the mysteries were wrapped up a bit clumsily in my opinion.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Sexual harassment
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Stalking, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, War
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
There’s a couple of reasons this book isn’t five stars and I will explain, but I would definitely recommend. It has a powerful message and after, admittedly, struggling through the first few chapters I was invested. It’s worth finishing, and the people who DFR definitely missed out.
Now to my negligible reasons; at times I found the constant use of similes annoying and, although I loved that I was right—who doesn’t like being validated—the big reveal was predictable so at the same time it was somewhat disappointing.
Now to my negligible reasons; at times I found the constant use of similes annoying and, although I loved that I was right—who doesn’t like being validated—the big reveal was predictable so at the same time it was somewhat disappointing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting
Moderate: Sexual harassment
Minor: Misogyny, Sexism, Xenophobia
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I don't know if it's because this is the first time listening to an audiobook, but boy oh boy, was this just... not my thing.
The atmosphere and setting felt eery and I kind of liked the weird time period. The little starts to the chapter with in-world text excerpts was fun. The mythology also seems pretty fun. Misogyny, the central theme of the novel, had some good portrayals - the parts on power dynamics and age gaps were very interesting and timely.
Unfortunately, the theme was just so overt that it made the central mystery of the novel sooo boring. The theme is misogyny, the central mystery is an author who might not have written his own work... hmmmm, I wonder who it could be! I don't have a problem guessing plot twists, but when you have to slog through an entire book just for the characters to uncover what you've known all along... that's just boring.
The extent of the misogyny was also just kind of annoying to read? A lot of it just felt like very easy "girl power" type messaging and a lot of it was also very blatant, straight up "Women can't read! Women aren't allowed to study literature!" Okay, this is set in some kind of historic time, but if a book published in 2023 is going to make misogyny and women's empowerment it's central theme to the point that it can't go 2 pages without reminding you, I think it should have something more substantial to say to it's readers about the state of women in present time. There's a lot of women reading this book, there's no need to affirm to them that yes, women can read and write. It seems like a cheap way to signal which of the male characters are good and which ones are bad - the bad one's prey on young women and think they can't write because they're women. The good one's don't do that. There's like 1 substantial female character besides Effy though so we don't need to worry about that!
It seems like an issue with trying to do too much - if it had focussed on just one or two aspects, like on Effy's experience at the college and the central mystery, it might've worked better for me. The same could be said for a lot of the book - I don't care for the war. I don't understand why it's there or why it matters and it had way too much screentime. There were like three different plots going on and none of them were all that intriguing. I don't care for the romance or the main characters either.
So I guess this entire rating is because those last few lines managed to grab me by the neck.
The atmosphere and setting felt eery and I kind of liked the weird time period. The little starts to the chapter with in-world text excerpts was fun. The mythology also seems pretty fun. Misogyny, the central theme of the novel, had some good portrayals - the parts on power dynamics and age gaps were very interesting and timely.
Unfortunately, the theme was just so overt that it made the central mystery of the novel sooo boring. The theme is misogyny, the central mystery is an author who might not have written his own work... hmmmm, I wonder who it could be! I don't have a problem guessing plot twists, but when you have to slog through an entire book just for the characters to uncover what you've known all along... that's just boring.
The extent of the misogyny was also just kind of annoying to read? A lot of it just felt like very easy "girl power" type messaging and a lot of it was also very blatant, straight up "Women can't read! Women aren't allowed to study literature!" Okay, this is set in some kind of historic time, but if a book published in 2023 is going to make misogyny and women's empowerment it's central theme to the point that it can't go 2 pages without reminding you, I think it should have something more substantial to say to it's readers about the state of women in present time. There's a lot of women reading this book, there's no need to affirm to them that yes, women can read and write. It seems like a cheap way to signal which of the male characters are good and which ones are bad - the bad one's prey on young women and think they can't write because they're women. The good one's don't do that. There's like 1 substantial female character besides Effy though so we don't need to worry about that!
It seems like an issue with trying to do too much - if it had focussed on just one or two aspects, like on Effy's experience at the college and the central mystery, it might've worked better for me. The same could be said for a lot of the book - I don't care for the war. I don't understand why it's there or why it matters and it had way too much screentime. There were like three different plots going on and none of them were all that intriguing. I don't care for the romance or the main characters either.
So I guess this entire rating is because those last few lines managed to grab me by the neck.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny
Moderate: Emotional abuse
Minor: Xenophobia, War