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grex_ronnie's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Non è un brutto libro, ma non riesco nemmeno a reputarlo un “bel” libro, che consiglierei. Non è il mio genere.
È una buona penna, la scrittura fila, per quando la mancanza di dialoghi definiti (sta moda alla Rooney deve finire vi prego) mi disturbi, lo trovo un bello stile.
La trama viaggia su piani inquieti e poco reali che non riesce a convincermi e spesso mi annoia: da qui, il finale mi ha molto deluso. Ma possono essere gusti.
Per quanto estremamente difficili e irritanti, i personaggi e le loro relazioni sono spiegati benissimo e la tossicità delle loro vite passa perfettamente al lettore. In questo, nulla da dire: vorresti proprio entrare nel libro e scuotere tutti quanti.
Ma rimane comunque un libro che non sono riuscita ad apprezzare a pieno.
È una buona penna, la scrittura fila, per quando la mancanza di dialoghi definiti (sta moda alla Rooney deve finire vi prego) mi disturbi, lo trovo un bello stile.
La trama viaggia su piani inquieti e poco reali che non riesce a convincermi e spesso mi annoia: da qui, il finale mi ha molto deluso. Ma possono essere gusti.
Per quanto estremamente difficili e irritanti, i personaggi e le loro relazioni sono spiegati benissimo e la tossicità delle loro vite passa perfettamente al lettore. In questo, nulla da dire: vorresti proprio entrare nel libro e scuotere tutti quanti.
Ma rimane comunque un libro che non sono riuscita ad apprezzare a pieno.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Bullying, Death, and Blood
bookishsapphicshay's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Death of parent, Blood, Grief, Mental illness, and Emotional abuse
horizonous's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
If I had to summarize this story with one word I would choose sticky. I don't even know what else I should say about this atmospheric, kind of disturbing fever dream like story other than I need to read more by Daisy Johnson.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Bullying, Grief, Self harm, Sexual violence, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Blood, Mental illness, Child death, Drug use, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual content, and Violence
Minor: Death of parent, Death, Domestic abuse, and Medical content
◦ Alcohol = Underage drinking◦ Mental illness = Depression
◦ Sexual violence = Revenge porn
virtualdragonkitty's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A short and simple novella that really felt like a nice introduction into the horror genre. There are a lot of tropes covered but they aren't done badly. Johnson kept me on my toes till the very end trying to figure out what was truly happening.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, and Mental illness
Moderate: Blood and Body horror
Minor: Alcohol and Drug use
james1star's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
I didn’t like this book. It started out okayish, definitely a bit *too* descriptive - not in the transportive way but more like “oh more details… yay… ugh” - but I guess this densness did die down as the story unfolded. It then just went into too much backstory plot kinda and about the sisters relationship, not the ‘sinister unfolding(s)’ with a lot less emphasis on the noises, lights flickering, lack of sleep and endless dreams which I was promised in the blurb. I just don’t feel like it gave what was stated. Not to spoil the plot at all but the main twist I did kind of predict as the story was developing so I was glad to get it right but also like I wasn’t shocked either.
The writing was okay I guess but I did feel like it changed quite a bit with lots of small sentences then very long ones. It was readable and followed but kind of irritating I guess. There was no quotation marks which does irk me but at least speech is on separate lines. The characters are rather unlikable and unrealistic with not that much logic in my opinion. Towards the end the plot seemed a bit rushed with lots of small paragraphs that were somewhat confusing but I dunno, I really didn’t like how it wrapped up.
Quick plot summary: two sisters and their mum move to their aunt’s rental house which is kinda run down, the mum is depressed and absent, sisters have a ‘weird’ relationship with September controlling basically all of July’s life, they explore the house and area, think back to their childhood and ‘the incident’ and Yhh, y’ll be getting no more out of me. Not that I would really recommend you read it but if you do… you get what I mean.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Bullying, Mental illness, and Death
Moderate: Child death, Blood, and Sexual content
Minor: Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Domestic abuse, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts
calisbooklog's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Self harm, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Child death, Emotional abuse, and Death of parent
Minor: Pregnancy, Sexual content, and Alcohol
anniefwrites's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Truly bone-chilling. Johnson created such a claustrophobic, vivid world and deeply twisted characters to inhabit it. This one will stick with me for a while.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Toxic relationship, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Alcohol, Mental illness, Sexual content, Blood, Bullying, Confinement, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cursing and Pregnancy
erindoesdesign's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, Abandonment, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Blood, Child death, Violence, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, and Toxic relationship
amandasharabooks's review
challenging
dark
sad
fast-paced
- 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? N/A
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Gore, Grief, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Self harm
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Alcohol
beckyjc's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I read this book in one sitting. It starts fairly slowly but the pace really picks up as the novel progresses - or perhaps it just felt that way as I became more intrigued by the revelations that build. This is a twisty plot, influenced by macabre folktale and a taste for the sinister and unnerving.
The relationship between the two sisters is an unusual one and I found some of the passages uncomfortable to read. The (just about) older sister's treatment of the younger sister is by turns protective, joyful, claustrophobic, toxic, strange. Childish games are tinged with violence and unpredictability. The mother figure is effectively shut out of their world, leaving a sense of unsafe space where harm lurks at unexpected turns.
July, the youngest sister - whose viewpoint we see the plot through - seems to experience similar uncertainty about September, sometimes grateful and desperate for September's attention, and sometimes frightened and stifled by it.About halfway through the book, as the action escalates in weirdness, I wondered if July and September were the same girl. If the reason we don't hear September's voice directly is because she doesn't exist, but is some kind of projection or fantasy that a nervous and unpopular child has created. Though I was wrong, I think this shows how Johnson does a good job of slowly alerting the reader to the fact that something isn't right. There is tension and absence running through the writing.
The coastal setting, and the dilapidated house they occupy, add to the atmosphere of loss and danger, devoid of any real comfort - physical or emotional.
The ending did make me sad. After suggesting July could have had an independent and fulfilling life without September, we see that she in fact honours a pact she made with September that only September should survive if they cannot both survive. It's disturbing and alarming, and leaves the novel on a mysterious note. What does this mean in reality? Will July now emulate September for good as she had been doing as a coping mechanism in grief? There's a vague body-snatching feel to this conclusion that made me shudder!
I would read more by Johnson on the basis of Sisters. Brooding, insular and mysterious - don't read this if you want something light-hearted.
The relationship between the two sisters is an unusual one and I found some of the passages uncomfortable to read. The (just about) older sister's treatment of the younger sister is by turns protective, joyful, claustrophobic, toxic, strange. Childish games are tinged with violence and unpredictability. The mother figure is effectively shut out of their world, leaving a sense of unsafe space where harm lurks at unexpected turns.
July, the youngest sister - whose viewpoint we see the plot through - seems to experience similar uncertainty about September, sometimes grateful and desperate for September's attention, and sometimes frightened and stifled by it.
The coastal setting, and the dilapidated house they occupy, add to the atmosphere of loss and danger, devoid of any real comfort - physical or emotional.
I would read more by Johnson on the basis of Sisters. Brooding, insular and mysterious - don't read this if you want something light-hearted.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Bullying, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Toxic relationship