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leweylibrary's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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? It's complicated
5.0
Gosh I love V. E. Schwab. This is so different from her other stuff I've read so far, and I loved it. It was the perfect amount of creepy and tense, the MC was really interesting and also pretty badass for a kid lol I love that she's mute and yet also kinda has this superpower to bring life in the shadow Gallant. I think that aspect of her identity also works well because so much of the narrative then can be in her own head through thoughts and memories rather than dialogue. And the shadow Gallant being a place where the only one who speaks is the Master/Death but she doesn't need to speak, that this is a place where she SHOULD feel more at home, is really interesting to me. The journals are also really interesting and the way the artwork in them works with the story, especially once you learn what exactly they are and who drew them. The entire shadow Gallant aspect is such a cool concept for a horror story like this.
Honestly I just can't wait to talk about this book with others in our book club! I feel like there's a lot of cool stuff going on that I'm only scratching the surface of on my own.
Honestly I just can't wait to talk about this book with others in our book club! I feel like there's a lot of cool stuff going on that I'm only scratching the surface of on my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Confinement, Ableism, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death and Animal death
rachtmh's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
V E SCHWAB has done it again, I cannot dislike anything she writes.
My main genres are fantasy, romance and mythology but have recently been really enjoying gothic, spooky & historic stories as well.
This book is spooky in a really interesting and engrossing way. The characters are bound to family and the their history, but like all good stories, you are the one who will be bound.
I could not put the book down and even more than a fantastic story, the book itself is beautiful.
The alternate pages, illustrations and chapter pages are something else!
Thank you for such a beautiful book and awesome story.
My main genres are fantasy, romance and mythology but have recently been really enjoying gothic, spooky & historic stories as well.
This book is spooky in a really interesting and engrossing way. The characters are bound to family and the their history, but like all good stories, you are the one who will be bound.
I could not put the book down and even more than a fantastic story, the book itself is beautiful.
The alternate pages, illustrations and chapter pages are something else!
Thank you for such a beautiful book and awesome story.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment
kgreer's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This was such a good read, the spookiness and the mystery kept me engaged until the last page. The added element that the main character could not communicate with spoken word propelled the story forward: it added to the suspense, kept the mystery going, and allowed the worlds to develop in ways that it wouldn’t otherwise.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, Death, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Terminal illness and Panic attacks/disorders
lauramcc7's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Death of parent, Grief, and Death
jelkebooks's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I'm going to be honest here, I just don't think this really worked for me. This book just completely failed to pull me in. There wasn't a single point in the novel were I actually felt invested, and when I closed the book at the end, all I could think about was just how underwhelming the reading experience it was for me.
I do have to say that I did really like the concept of this book. The story was interesting to me. I read this book relatively quickly, and most of that was because I was intrigued enough to find out what was going on. The atmosphere was also really well build. I do think the resolution was a little dissapointing, but overall I did really like the story. I did also really like the illustrations througout the book. They were absolutely stunning.
I also quite liked our cast of characters. Besides Olivia they were quite one dimensional but I still quite liked seeing them. Olivia was a really interesting main character. I just liked being inside her head. She is obviously extremely smart, but also quite creative, and very brave. The cast of side characters were a great addition to the story, and I liked the role they got to play.
So yeah, this wasn't a bad book at all, and I definitely wouldn't want to steer you away from this book, however it just completely wasn't for me. I would be quite curious to see this book adapted though because I do think this would make a great movie if done correctly (of course).
I do have to say that I did really like the concept of this book. The story was interesting to me. I read this book relatively quickly, and most of that was because I was intrigued enough to find out what was going on. The atmosphere was also really well build. I do think the resolution was a little dissapointing, but overall I did really like the story. I did also really like the illustrations througout the book. They were absolutely stunning.
I also quite liked our cast of characters. Besides Olivia they were quite one dimensional but I still quite liked seeing them. Olivia was a really interesting main character. I just liked being inside her head. She is obviously extremely smart, but also quite creative, and very brave. The cast of side characters were a great addition to the story, and I liked the role they got to play.
So yeah, this wasn't a bad book at all, and I definitely wouldn't want to steer you away from this book, however it just completely wasn't for me. I would be quite curious to see this book adapted though because I do think this would make a great movie if done correctly (of course).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Minor: Ableism and Suicide
em_of_swags's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood and Grief
Minor: Bullying and Ableism
readingwithkaitlyn'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Blood, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Confinement, Grief, Abandonment, and Violence
Minor: Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Animal death, Alcohol, Child abuse, Child death, Suicide, Terminal illness, Bullying, Self harm, Mental illness, and Pregnancy
sabrielsbell's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
You should read this if you like haunted houses, ghosts and ghouls, or middle grade books. I love V.E Schwab and this was no exception. It was spooky and somber but you still felt hope and I found myself really rooting for Olivia. I can't say this was a happy read but it was really beautiful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Abandonment, Death of parent, and Child death
Moderate: Suicide and Grief
Minor: Animal death and Blood
samanthaeumir's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Blood, Self harm, Child death, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
macaroons06's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Thought this book was creative and interesting. I was really hooked by the author's style of writing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, Death, Self harm, and Child death
Moderate: Alcoholism, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Grief
Minor: Gore and Eating disorder