Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

The Furies by Katie Lowe

19 reviews

introverted_reads's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

On paper, this is my perfect book. It promised witchcraft, academia, murder, moral decay, and the arts. It did, to some extent, deliver this and I did enjoy it on the most part. If you’re a fan of books like The Secret History (Donna Tartt) or If We Were Villains (M. L. Rio), which I am, this is again a novel of secrecy, elite academic circles, murder, boundaries and transgression, and decay. After the disappearance of a previous member of the elite art group, Violet is introduced to a world of witchcraft, female anger, moral transgressions, and the pursuit of beauty above all else. Violet is swept into the turbulent dynamic of the group, lured by the promise of solidarity and companionship, and very quickly finds herself inseparable from Robin, the enigmatic best friend of the missing girl. Violet and Robin begin down a path of bloody pagan rituals and revenge, and the declination of morality is triggered. The Furies is a captivating, dark novel that is a must read for fans of the gothic or the dark academia cult (/lh) that is forever growing.

However, I feel that this book is somewhat problematic. If it were published even 10 years ago, I’d be more understanding of some of the themes/ideas within this book, but considering it was published in 2019, it is extremely concerning to see the pro-ana/pro-mia culture of the 2000-2010s finding its way into a contemporary piece of fiction. The arguably romantic depiction of this culture feels very out of place and extremely harmful. With eating disorders worryingly on the rise, and pro-ana/mia culture finding a renaissance on TikTok, I personally am concerned at the misconstrued ideas held within Lowe’s novel. For a book published in 2019 with a host of academic psychiatry resources and credible eating disorder information available online, to have such a glorified depiction of eating disorder themes doesn’t sit right with me. I feel as if there must be a reexamination of what exactly is being presented within this book, as I feel as though this could be dangerous in some hands.

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annniina98's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


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cosycourtney's review

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

4.5

Dark witchy academia meets murder mystery; sign me up. Listening to this on audiobook had me wanting to walk for as long as I could each day. The story was compelling, layered, intense, entertaining and infuriating. I couldn’t tell which friend was worse or if anyone deserved my sympathy. The characterization was so strong; we all know the exact archetype from school and when you’re young you want anything to be friends with her but when you’re older you’re glad you weren’t. This book unpacks the obsessive nature of friendship as a teenager and the commitment to questionable friends people uphold about it all. I found it pleasantly infuriating as I wanted to scream sense into everyone but I was hooked on every word. Thoroughly enjoyed and look forward to reading more of Katie Lowe’s books in the future! Please consider content warnings before reading x

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amelianotthepilot's review

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dark fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

dead poets society meets mean girls plus witchy stuff 

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jenniferpalmblad's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5


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claudiagreen's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0


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okaynextcrisis's review against another edition

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dark slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

not worth the journey.  and it's a looooong journey.

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aliciacaitlyn's review against another edition

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3.5


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beereadsbooks's review

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0


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