Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
A perfect look at self destruction and self hatred.
In this book, Noelle's internal struggles claw into you. Before she admits it, you can feel the tension she feels about her sexuality, how she has treated the people in her life and her religious past.
Shaped by her mothers Catholicism and also the pain of her mother's betrayal (sleeping with a priest), Noelle punishes herself for simply being herself. It's like she doesn't understand kindness cause she was never taught it by her family. She can't comprehend how to be nice and honest to herself and others.
Her internal issues are made physical in two ways. Her relationship with Catholicism is embodied in her mums betrayal (choosing to love religion over her own family) and her self destruction is embodied in her relationship with a vampire.
I really loved how it challenged the romantic perception of a vampire (thanks Twilight) and brought it down to its literal pain. Moses wasn't an embodiment of evil, but her choice to sleep with him was the purest example of her self hatred. She chose to be in immense pain and give her body to a man rather than cope with her emotions.
This self hatred revolves around her relationship with Lomie who you can tell she loved even before she admits it to herself. Instead of opening up her heart, she chooses the easier option - to give away her body.
It was a phenomenal novel and truly made Nolys pain visceral.
In this book, Noelle's internal struggles claw into you. Before she admits it, you can feel the tension she feels about her sexuality, how she has treated the people in her life and her religious past.
Shaped by her mothers Catholicism and also the pain of her mother's betrayal (sleeping with a priest), Noelle punishes herself for simply being herself. It's like she doesn't understand kindness cause she was never taught it by her family. She can't comprehend how to be nice and honest to herself and others.
Her internal issues are made physical in two ways. Her relationship with Catholicism is embodied in her mums betrayal (choosing to love religion over her own family) and her self destruction is embodied in her relationship with a vampire.
I really loved how it challenged the romantic perception of a vampire (thanks Twilight) and brought it down to its literal pain. Moses wasn't an embodiment of evil, but her choice to sleep with him was the purest example of her self hatred. She chose to be in immense pain and give her body to a man rather than cope with her emotions.
This self hatred revolves around her relationship with Lomie who you can tell she loved even before she admits it to herself. Instead of opening up her heart, she chooses the easier option - to give away her body.
It was a phenomenal novel and truly made Nolys pain visceral.
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really miss Scotland
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It’s hard to describe why exactly I didn’t give this book a higher rating. Sometimes a book just doesn’t reach you at the right time in your life. But I’d wager my general apathy towards this story had more than just timing behind it. Firstly, (being vague so as not to spoil too much), the description of the book is somewhat misleading. This was a story more about religion than it was about vampires, to be perfectly honest. The atmosphere also felt skewed, with a temporal narrative that was at times dull and repetitive and at times lurched forward suddenly. The revelations about the main character’s past were also unveiled in the same hop/skip/stumble way—certainly not as effectively or intuitively as in similar books I’ve read. Most unfortunate of all, many of these things did not feel like purposeful choices. On the upside, I liked some of the stylistic choices made towards the very end, and there is a conversation around then which was the highlight of my reading experience , but neither of these things were enough to make me feel more attached to the story.
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a book with a truly languid plot and the vibes were fucked. The main character was about as unsympathetic as they come, even with us having religious deconstruction from Catholicism in common. The prose was overwritten and it made every thought in Noelle's head seem childish, like a 16 year old with too much access to Tumblr poetry tried their hand at a cheeky horror book.
That being said, I love when a vampire store is truly depraved and this one fits the bill. The vampire is disgusting. You hate him and you're repulsed by him, and so is Noelle, but she can't seem to stay away and instead sinks further and further into sin. That's where the second star comes from here for me, and this being a debut I think this is something the author could lean further into in the future.
And while this is marked as sapphic, I don't think that's a good categorization for this book. There are visceral descriptions of hetero sex and Noelle doesn't grapple with her sexuality until the last 20% of the book or so, and even then there is not much activity. Just a quiet realization. Totally find, but the shedding of religious guilt and discovering of your sexuality does not a sapphic book make.
That being said, I love when a vampire store is truly depraved and this one fits the bill. The vampire is disgusting. You hate him and you're repulsed by him, and so is Noelle, but she can't seem to stay away and instead sinks further and further into sin. That's where the second star comes from here for me, and this being a debut I think this is something the author could lean further into in the future.
And while this is marked as sapphic, I don't think that's a good categorization for this book. There are visceral descriptions of hetero sex and Noelle doesn't grapple with her sexuality until the last 20% of the book or so, and even then there is not much activity. Just a quiet realization. Totally find, but the shedding of religious guilt and discovering of your sexuality does not a sapphic book make.
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Homophobia
Moderate: Blood
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes