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rockinrodriguez's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Lol
Thought this would be a fun mystery that was about a cool lesbian nun that shows how *cool* Catholicism is but turns out religious people have and always will be a certain kind of weird
I never knew the turns this book would take and loved how ridiculous it was. You’re telling me that sheLoses both of her moms to bizarre fire incidents? And everyone’s on drugs and cheating? it’s absurd and I’m into it
Thought this would be a fun mystery that was about a cool lesbian nun that shows how *cool* Catholicism is but turns out religious people have and always will be a certain kind of weird
I never knew the turns this book would take and loved how ridiculous it was. You’re telling me that she
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Homophobia and Terminal illness
runningonwords415's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
There was a lot I liked about this book and a lot of gaps that I saw as well. I loved the setting - NOLA and the Catholic Church/ school really spoke to me. I loved the redemption arc of Sister Holiday and the grittiness of her character. The secondary characters really dragged this story down, though. They couldn’t hold a candle to her stellar development. Everyone felt forced, half baked, or predicable, so I really struggled in any scene that wasn’t just a moment that Sister was processing on her own. There are a ton of trigger warnings I wasn’t expecting, especially with arson and burning.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Animal death, Homophobia, and Medical content
sidneyreads_'s review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism
Moderate: Incest, Rape, and Violence
Minor: Addiction and Lesbophobia
sophiebv's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Chronic illness, Rape, Self harm, and Death of parent
ermw0's review
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Ever since I finished this book last night, I found myself with a lot of thoughts on it. I couldn't decide whether or not I just enjoyed the prose style or the book as a whole. The mystery ... wasn't great in my opinion. The voice of the author and her writing style, as well as the voice of Sister Holiday, are not going to be liked by everyone. She thinks in these long, flowery, and gilded sentences where everything is rich with intense imagery. You can really smell, see, and feel New Orleans from her descriptions, as well as every other scene and memory in this book. I found this writing style very appealing, and mixed with the religious reverence you could feel Sister Holiday's devotion.
However, the mystery aspect of this book was almost baffling. We are immediately told that Sister Holiday loves mysteries and is the convent's de facto detective, but not only are we not shown any of this (just told) but she is an awful investigator! Sister Holiday's interrogation style is to go right up to the person she needs to speak to and just shouts at them "what do you know about the fire! tell me!" and then when the person obviously denies and prickles, she becomes suspicious. Rinse and repeat. I was baffled at this style, she does it to every single suspect she has! There's no nuance to her detective work at all. In fact, she doesn't really solve the mystery of the fires except by accident almost. None of the clues or detective work she does really pays off. It feels so random and silly. And when she does solve the mystery, she just immediately let's Sister Augustine go out of the country! All of the detectives that she quotes and says she is inspired by wouldn't just absolve this crime.
Again, we are told that Sister Holiday knows her stuff and is effective. Even the actual investigators somewhat trust her. But I can see why they don't really, she's not very good at it.
Prince Dempsey - I don't even know where to begin with this character. His entire lawsuit and plot was dropped, so we have no resolution with that. I was annoyed with this since Sister Holliday spent so much time obsessing over him as a suspect. And then his random trial for a different crime (and car chase lol) felt like Prince was going to be a big player, but he was also duped by Sister Holiday and just a traumatized boy lashing out.
Rosemary - was a background character with slight tinges of suspicion but then veers suddenly into a "are we about to kiss rn" scenes with Sister Holiday? This felt shoehorned in, I wish they did more with her.
Nina - she didn't need to come to New Orleans at all. I actually liked her better as a memory, because the effect on Sister Holiday was so much more potent! Then you bring this character back for a tiny scene of zero consequence that could be removed from the book with no changes. Wish they kept her in the past.
Bernard - he was giving off a little creepy vibes towards the end by copying SH's neckerchief and getting the Judith tattoo and insisting SH get one too. It felt like this was building to something, but he's just there.
Sister Augustine - so she is the one who was setting the fires, accidentally killed John but did kill Sister T. I do not understand her motives at all and was confused and underwhelmed that she was the perpetrator? And then SH just lets her go? And then Sister Augustine accidentally (after trying to purposefully) lights herself on fire and dies? What? That ending was wild (not in a good way.)
There's so much more about this book I could write. I'm not sure if having this much to say and somewhat critique means I didn't enjoy the book, or I cared so much I wanted it to be as great as it can be. The book's interpretation on religion, especially as it applies to a queer woman, is very interesting and refreshing. I loved Sister Holiday as a character, I haven't read anyone like her before. I will definitely follow this series but I hope the sequel tightens up or at least continues the threads that were dropped off here.
Again, we are told that Sister Holiday knows her stuff and is effective. Even the actual investigators somewhat trust her. But I can see why they don't really, she's not very good at it.
Prince Dempsey - I don't even know where to begin with this character. His entire lawsuit and plot was dropped, so we have no resolution with that. I was annoyed with this since Sister Holliday spent so much time obsessing over him as a suspect. And then his random trial for a different crime (and car chase lol) felt like Prince was going to be a big player, but he was also duped by Sister Holiday and just a traumatized boy lashing out.
Rosemary - was a background character with slight tinges of suspicion but then veers suddenly into a "are we about to kiss rn" scenes with Sister Holiday? This felt shoehorned in, I wish they did more with her.
Nina - she didn't need to come to New Orleans at all. I actually liked her better as a memory, because the effect on Sister Holiday was so much more potent! Then you bring this character back for a tiny scene of zero consequence that could be removed from the book with no changes. Wish they kept her in the past.
Bernard - he was giving off a little creepy vibes towards the end by copying SH's neckerchief and getting the Judith tattoo and insisting SH get one too. It felt like this was building to something, but he's just there.
Sister Augustine - so she is the one who was setting the fires, accidentally killed John but did kill Sister T. I do not understand her motives at all and was confused and underwhelmed that she was the perpetrator? And then SH just lets her go? And then Sister Augustine accidentally (after trying to purposefully) lights herself on fire and dies? What? That ending was wild (not in a good way.)
There's so much more about this book I could write. I'm not sure if having this much to say and somewhat critique means I didn't enjoy the book, or I cared so much I wanted it to be as great as it can be. The book's interpretation on religion, especially as it applies to a queer woman, is very interesting and refreshing. I loved Sister Holiday as a character, I haven't read anyone like her before. I will definitely follow this series but I hope the sequel tightens up or at least continues the threads that were dropped off here.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Homophobia, Death of parent, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Infidelity, Terminal illness, Police brutality, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Rape, and Pregnancy
frankieclc's review
only took 10 pages for me to know the main character was insufferable and i'd have a terrible time reading this
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury
abhirupa's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
4.0
This was such a refreshing take on the mystery genre. I liked Holiday a lot as a narrator, even when she was talking about her mistakes and transgressions I still wanted to hear her out. I also really liked the descriptions of New Orleans and the secondary characters, who all felt like three-dimensional real people. The main negatives were that I felt like the plot kind of dragged on and there were a few too many red herrings for my liking. The ending was cathartic enough but I still felt like there were unanswered questions. Overall, I really liked this book and I’m excited to read the next in the series—I do hope it’ll be a little more punchy than this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Incest and Sexual assault
lyshbish's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I think I liked this book more in concept than in execution. Sister Holiday was an interesting character, but I was more interested in her history than her present... including the mystery. I found it fairly easy to solve, which was an ego boost, but ultimately... it didn't leave a huge impression. I would potentially read a sequel, though!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Homophobia, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
Moderate: Cancer, Drug use, Religious bigotry, and Murder
lambkm's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Grief, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Suicide, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death and Self harm
cheeseplant111's review
dark
mysterious
tense
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
4.0
i am not religious but damn,,,
genuinely so intriguing loved the story and the prose
only complaint is that the end felt rushed and if it was missing something, could’ve been a bit longer i felt. somethings didn’t get resolved
however i loved it def would read more
genuinely so intriguing loved the story and the prose
only complaint is that the end felt rushed and if it was missing something, could’ve been a bit longer i felt. somethings didn’t get resolved
however i loved it def would read more
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Gore, Homophobia, Suicide attempt, Lesbophobia, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Addiction, Animal death, Cancer, Infidelity, and Rape