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simplyabird's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
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? Yes
5.0
100% ready by audiobook if possible, the two narrators add so much to the experience.
I loved the very descriptive and flowery language, and from the start Leah and Miri were so realistic and relatable that, even being aroace, I immediately fell in love with both of them and their relationship. I was never more interested in one of the POVs over the other, never felt like it was dragging or going to quick.
I was okay with the mystery not being really answered, because I knew and accepted it as an allegory and felt more involved with the relationship than the mystery, through it was still incredibly interesting. Personally, I think if you've ever dealt with grief and depression, you'll be a lot less bothered by not having gotten all of the answers to the mystery.
I loved the very descriptive and flowery language, and from the start Leah and Miri were so realistic and relatable that, even being aroace, I immediately fell in love with both of them and their relationship. I was never more interested in one of the POVs over the other, never felt like it was dragging or going to quick.
I was okay with the mystery not being really answered, because I knew and accepted it as an allegory and felt more involved with the relationship than the mystery, through it was still incredibly interesting. Personally, I think if you've ever dealt with grief and depression, you'll be a lot less bothered by not having gotten all of the answers to the mystery.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Grief, and Mental illness
Moderate: Terminal illness, Death of parent, and Death
liv_free99's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
When I first finished this book I felt it ended on a bit of a soft note. I felt a little disappointed, and that I might have missed something in the plot.
However, after taking a night and talking about the ending aloud, I realized it was the perfect ending for Leah and Miri.
This book had very flowery writing that can be difficult for some to follow. I felt with the lower amount of character to character dialogue, that in larger amount on inner monologue was a good contrast.
*slight spoilers below*
On the surface this book is about a marriage dealing with complications that happen when someone isn’t as focused/invested on the marriage after dealing with trauma.
But I felt the story was more about dealing with the inevitable death of a loved one from a terminal illness and trying to cope. Trying to find some light in the darkness.
Not once did the Miri try and explain away her wife’s illness as something that was caused by The Centres expedition. She tried to avoid it, tried to make it go away, but she didn’t try and look for the root cause. Not until the end.
However, after taking a night and talking about the ending aloud, I realized it was the perfect ending for Leah and Miri.
This book had very flowery writing that can be difficult for some to follow. I felt with the lower amount of character to character dialogue, that in larger amount on inner monologue was a good contrast.
*slight spoilers below*
On the surface this book is about a marriage dealing with complications that happen when someone isn’t as focused/invested on the marriage after dealing with trauma.
But I felt the story was more about dealing with the inevitable death of a loved one from a terminal illness and trying to cope. Trying to find some light in the darkness.
Not once did the Miri try and explain away her wife’s illness as something that was caused by The Centres expedition. She tried to avoid it, tried to make it go away, but she didn’t try and look for the root cause. Not until the end.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror and Terminal illness
emilyandthewhippet's review against another edition
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Blood, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Grief
Moderate: Misogyny
Minor: Sexism, Death of parent, Homophobia, and Terminal illness
smothermewithscifi's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Gaslighting, Chronic illness, Grief, Sexual content, and Body horror
Moderate: Death, Terminal illness, and Death of parent
hello_lovely13's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I unfortunately just did not click with this. The premise seemed like everything I like in a book, but I just did not feel any attachment to the characters. Also, since it was dual POV, I don’t think we spent enough time in either for me to fully sink into the atmosphere. Although, Miri’s POV did a better job than Leah’s. For Leah’s POV, I wish we knew that hers was something she was writing down before the halfway point. Also, she didn’t really mention Miri UNTIL the halfway point, which kind of irked me. I also wish that we saw her perspective of her life and mental state AFTER she comes home, even if it was just vignettes (that would have been so good, especially since Miri believes she held on for her and there were a few moments of clarity). I also wasn’t expecting the supernatural aspect of this novel, which if I knew if there was one going in, I might have liked it more. For Miri and Leah’s relationship, I liked hearing about how they were before; it was always so cute to hear about. However, there wasn’t enough time spent exploring their relationship in the after because of how often the perspectives are switched and Miri’s avoidant nature (which DOES explore the shift in their relationship, but nothing goes too in-depth). There are some good quotes in there, but I was unfortunately disappointed (partially by expectations, partially because of the lack of connection I felt with the characters, and partially because of the uncharted territory left by the author).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, and Suicide
Moderate: Terminal illness, Death, and Death of parent
coelwa's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Terminal illness, Mental illness, Confinement, Death, Grief, and Body horror
kickitupanotch7's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Death of parent, Terminal illness, Confinement, Chronic illness, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Suicide
moonlitemuseum's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Oh this book was made for me and I hope I can create something that even comes close to how I felt while reading it
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement
Moderate: Medical content, Terminal illness, and Body horror
If the ocean scares you maybe sit this one outacorny's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Absolutely incredible book, exploring love, grief, trauma and relationships changing through all these things. depicted so beautifully through the lens of a science fiction/horror novel. It felt appropriately suspenseful and the ending was heartbreaking despite my anticipating its ending awhile before. I will be thinking about this book for a long time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Vomit, Confinement, Mental illness, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Death, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Grief, Suicide, and Homophobia
__chechi__'s review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Death of parent, Death, and Terminal illness