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rlobel's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Moderate: Death, Grief, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Ableism, Mental illness, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Violence
lolaslalaland's review against another edition
5.0
Our story follows Olivia, and orphaned young girl who is also mute. She grew up at a home for girls, and all she has left of her parents is a cryptic journal left behind my her mother. This book was most definitely more character focused as the whole story is about Olivia and her solitude but also this hope that she can finally belong somewhere. Although, she may seem like a sad character, I found her to be very strong willed and an inspiration. She never let anything get her down and she just kept fighting back, I loved her so much, and I just wanted to give her a hug.
The atmosphere of this book was so fucking gothic and dark and creepy and eerie, I adored it! Especially for a young adult book, I was not expecting to have my skin crawl so much. I can't say this enough but I love V.E. Schwab's imagination, her ideas and the way she translates it onto paper is just, *gasp of awe*. I would highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to read a gothic horror that is much lighter and more YA but can still provide that creepy feeling.
Graphic: Suicide and Self harm
arthur_ant18's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Graphic: Death, Animal death, Child death, Abandonment, Ableism, Bullying, Death of parent, Grief, and Mental illness
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Blood, and Self harm
kayladaila's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Death, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Animal death, Blood, Child death, Kidnapping, Murder, Mental illness, Self harm, Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Violence
Minor: Pregnancy and Ableism
foreverinastory's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Rep: white asexual(?) mute cis female MC, white side characters.
CWs: Death, death of parent, blood, grief, animal death, abandonment, bullying, ableism, child death, suicide, gore, self harm, suicidal thoughts, violence, kidnapping, murder. Moderate: injury/injury detail, mental illness, body horror. Minor: alcoholism.
Graphic: Child death, Grief, Abandonment, Blood, Suicide, Death of parent, Bullying, Gore, Death, Self harm, Violence, Kidnapping, Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Ableism, and Murder
Moderate: Mental illness, Body horror, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcoholism
alite428'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? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Grief, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Death of parent, Death, and Suicide attempt
belladsb's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Self harm, Death, Death of parent, Body horror, Grief, Animal death, Blood, and Suicide
Moderate: Child death
alexiab's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
As always, VE Schwab has written a rare, beautiful, haunting story. This book is truly an experience, the use of ink illustrations and letters mingled into the story is such a brilliant way to set the tone for the book, and I also absolutely loved the audiobook narrator.
The concept of a main character who can't speak, and how her lack of voice affects her throughout her journey, is something I've never seen before and I can't imagine I will again any time soon. You can really feel Olivia's frustration at times, and there was a line about Edgar turning away while she tried to sign to him, and how it was "so easy to silence her" that really stuck with me.
A lot of reviews I saw said this story started out almost too slow for them, and while I would agree that it was a slow start, I think the beginning of the journey is the best part of the way Schwab writes. I love to see the characters and worlds she creates and just let them unfold, because they're always so unqiue from both other authors' works and her own. So for me, I didn't find it *too* slow, just enough to set the tone and settle in.
So much of this book is the balance of life and loss, and Olivia's journey really tied those threads together beautifully. Stories that focus around so much loss usually sit very heavily in my heart, but the ache was definitely worth it.
Graphic: Death of parent, Blood, Child death, and Death
Moderate: Suicide and Self harm
mo345's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Abandonment, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Death of parent, Grief, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Self harm, and Suicide