Reviews

Al riparo by Kirsty Logan

sinisterbeard's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

rovingreader's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

esther_a_'s review against another edition

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4.0

Weird, beautiful and poetic. 

amyjen's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated

2.5

milliemary's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

fiona_claffey_kelly's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

betweenbookends's review against another edition

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3.0

3.5/5

Beautiful writing, stunning imagery and fascinating themes. However, some of the stories were just not as memorable.

katertotaf's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

paula_s's review against another edition

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4.0

There were a couple of tales that I don't think I've understood, but the book is so beautiful and insightful anyway. Some stories were magical, some were scary... a worthwile read.

veelaughtland's review against another edition

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3.0

3.5 stars.

I'll be honest, I didn't enjoy this collection as much as Logan's first collection The Rental Heart and Other Fairytales. It started off incredibly strong with my favourite story of the collection, Cutting Teeth, but after that I found it to be a bit of a mixed bag.

Logan's trademark lyrical, poetic writing is still there, so that doesn't disappoint. I just found this collection a little too whimsical for my tastes, and the fairytale, telling stories round the fire feel was a lot stronger in this collection, which isn't really my thing. It almost felt more like I was a child again reading, and let me just state that this isn't a children's book - there are a lot of adult themes in here - but it felt more like one in the way most of the stories were told.

I also found the way it was constructed a little odd at times - each story is told by either Ruth or Liska, a couple who are awaiting the birth of their first child who they secretively tell the stories too - but I found the secretive element not particularly present, and I didn't think Ruth or Liska had particularly distinctive voices from each other. It was an interesting concept but it didn't quite work for me.

My favourites from the collection were Cutting Teeth, Ex-, Stars, Witch, Bear, and Small World. And I did enjoy this collection for the most part - the illustrations are a beautiful accompaniment in this edition, and I loved the inclusion of again more LGBT content. However, compared to her first collection, I just didn't become enveloped in this one as much.