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amina_writes_books's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Gore, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, Medical trauma, Murder, Addiction, Death, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, and Blood
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Self harm, Animal death, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Blood, Child abuse, Body horror, Confinement, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse
blacksphinx's review
- 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? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Murder, Blood, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Self harm, and Mental illness
Moderate: Violence, Misogyny, Forced institutionalization, Panic attacks/disorders, and Gun violence
Minor: Pregnancy, Suicide, Sexual assault, Abortion, Miscarriage, Adult/minor relationship, and Pandemic/Epidemic
sandreline's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
After the introduction, we meet Anna as a middle-aged woman. You quickly parse she is someone who has spent her life supporting the dreams of her husband, and man who, while perhaps good-intentioned, has a bumbling paternalism for his wife.
In Anna's point of view you hear all the excuses she makes for him. She is filled with a lifetime of guilt, shame, and inferiority, and that colors all her interactions with him.
This is where King Nyx excels. Exposing and subtly picking apart the relationships between it's characters. And that is the primary focus for the first half of the book.
After that is when it starts to fall apart. We fall into a mystery set up quite well in the beginning, but tied together a bit too cleanly at the end. Those meaty character interactions fall to the wayside for some gothic-mystery shenanigans.
The most disappointing aspect for me was that we didn't really get to see all that much growth from Anna. She is, ultimately, the same character we meet at the beginning.
Very strong start, but I wish this story had leaned more into its strengths instead of getting lost in its own mysteries.
ARC provided by NetGalley.
Graphic: Self harm
Moderate: Forced institutionalization and Torture
Minor: Miscarriage, Adult/minor relationship, and Rape
rabbitwinner's review
Moderate: Misogyny, Abortion, and Miscarriage