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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
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
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
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
It's not often you get stories like these, where the main character is so flawed and messy and beastly. It only made me love her more, to want her to succeed in whatever dark desire she wanted. A little light on the romance which was actually very refreshing for this type of YA novel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Blood
Minor: Racism, Classism
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
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
challenging
emotional
tense
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really wanted to rate this book higher, and I really enjoyed the lore (pun intended) of the dark forces at hand, but I just felt like I was so confused with the opinions/decisions made by Laure, and the reasoning for them throughout the book, which was genuinely surprising, as a fellow black girl used to dance competitively. Most of this feeling came from every micro/macro-aggression and genuine show of bad friendship from Coralie that Laure kept making excuses for and then at the end of the book we learned that Coralie was also possessed. But some of the memories Laure would refer to from when (I can only assume) before Coralie was possessed/when they were younger, never sounded like examples of Coralie being a good friend. And Laure's friendship with Coralie was a main plot point throughout the entire book so it became frustrating when I always felt like Laure deserved better when she was literally making deals with the devil. I am going to read the second book in hopes to get more of a look at who Laure is without Coralie in the picture.
Laure’s right to be a menace. God bless weird girls and the artistry they create. This was amazing. I loved everything. Technically this isn’t magical realism but I will choose to believe it is. This stoked something in me. I can’t wait for this author to write more.