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orizenda's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-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? No
4.0
so ended up actually rly liking it even tho i didn’t like the narrator that much sometimes. maybe i just don’t like that it felt like she was talking to me does she use second person? I don’t remember but it feels like it does to me anyway. also it was actually creepy to me. like idk bugs r one thing but the children 😳 i was dying. also I kind of like… thought it felt weird that there’s like talk abt diversity in the book like sam feels very black lives matter to me but like are any of the characters not white? like maria but does she even really appear in the story? idk it just felt performative ig in that aspect. but i liked it overall
Graphic: Body horror and Child death
lots of bugs mentioned which might not be great for anyone who doesn’t do well with bugsdreamy_demon's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Fatphobia, Injury/Injury detail, and Child death
Moderate: Death of parent
tigger89's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Anything by T. Kingfisher is an auto-request for me, at this point. I love that woman's imagination. A creepy southern gothic, while less fantastic than her previous stories I'd read, is still right up my alley. And I loved the narrator! She was a joy to ride around with, whether she was snarking about the wifi or nerding out about bugs. As someone who's around the same age as Sam, I could relate heavily to her anxieties regarding her aging mother. The finale was also incredible, keeping tension high from the moment Sam stepped back into the house until the matter was resolved.
Unfortunately, overall I didn't like this book as much as Kingfisher's other two. Perhaps it was the genre shift, the addition of teased romantic tension between our intrepid protagonist and the sexy gardener, or the fact that a large part of the story's build-up could have been skipped if the protagonist and her mother had just had That Conversation at any point before the story was two-thirds of the way over. But that doesn't mean it's bad! The bar was just set very high, is all.
Now, the most important question: do the vultures and/or ladybugs die?There is a committee of vultures, one named and many unnamed. All survive to the end of the story. There are also many, many ladybugs. Unfortunately, some of the ladybugs get squashed in the course of the story, but the majority of them survive.
Unfortunately, overall I didn't like this book as much as Kingfisher's other two. Perhaps it was the genre shift, the addition of teased romantic tension between our intrepid protagonist and the sexy gardener, or the fact that a large part of the story's build-up could have been skipped if the protagonist and her mother had just had That Conversation at any point before the story was two-thirds of the way over. But that doesn't mean it's bad! The bar was just set very high, is all.
Now, the most important question: do the vultures and/or ladybugs die?
Moderate: Alcohol, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, and Fatphobia
Minor: Racism, Animal death, Child death, and Dementia
Anyone with a fear of bugs should be aware there's multiple scenes involving swarms of ladybugs crawling around and on the point of view character.wrestleacademic's review against another edition
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Fatphobia, Body horror, Murder, Child death, Body shaming, and Blood
Bugs, like so many bugsbreezer's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I wasn't entirely happy with the plot directions but I enjoyed it and there was some seriously creepy moments
Graphic: Grief and Child death
solari's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A modern southern ghost story, complete with vultures, bugs, roses, and witches. Sassy and sarcastic main character, Very satisfying.
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Eating disorder, Cannibalism, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Child death, Death of parent, and Body horror
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