Take a photo of a barcode or cover
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Okay.
I like stories with kids uncovering forgotten histories and secrets, especially in this place with its feeling of being a forgotten land. Don't like the manic pixie dream next door, but hell it was written in the 90s I'll cut it some slack. I judge books by their covers and I bought this as a teen because it was beautiful. The book itself is nice, fine. Feels like a debut novel. So much of the backstories being told in the form of dialogue instead of just switching perspectives to tell the story in the past took me out of it. If I'm thinking "People don't talk like this!" whenever I read something, I know I'm taking points off. I don't like how quick the ending was, but only because you didn't really get to sit with the main character and the titular character after the mystery's been solved. So it's a fine book like it's okay. It's whatever. I'm being harsh. It's alright.
I like stories with kids uncovering forgotten histories and secrets, especially in this place with its feeling of being a forgotten land. Don't like the manic pixie dream next door, but hell it was written in the 90s I'll cut it some slack. I judge books by their covers and I bought this as a teen because it was beautiful. The book itself is nice, fine. Feels like a debut novel. So much of the backstories being told in the form of dialogue instead of just switching perspectives to tell the story in the past took me out of it. If I'm thinking "People don't talk like this!" whenever I read something, I know I'm taking points off. I don't like how quick the ending was, but only because you didn't really get to sit with the main character and the titular character after the mystery's been solved. So it's a fine book like it's okay. It's whatever. I'm being harsh. It's alright.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Child death, Death
Moderate: Drug use, Torture, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cancer, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Death of parent, War
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence
Moderate: Physical abuse, Self harm, Terminal illness
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
As a tale about life and death, about the drive to stop and reverse the inevitable decay of our own bodies, Marina is a tense imaginative mystery with elements of Frankenstein woven into it, although the “scientist” did not create the monster but instead became his own monstrous creation. One brief particular scene at the end brought to mind Nina from Full Metal Alchemist.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Physical abuse, Self harm, Terminal illness, Violence, Medical trauma