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muckl3t83's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Stalking, Confinement, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Violence, Murder, Addiction, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Death of parent, and Death
dcnireads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Gore, Mental illness, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Child abuse, Blood, Child death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Murder, Physical abuse, Grief, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, and Violence
Minor: Alcoholism, Stalking, and Alcohol
chris_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Child abuse, and Murder
Moderate: Violence, Death of parent, Stalking, Body horror, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Confinement, Vomit, Animal death, and Alcohol
kagehime's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Gore, Violence, Religious bigotry, Mental illness, and Body horror
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Alcoholism, Death of parent, and Emotional abuse
theweatherwriter's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Violence, Torture, and Emotional abuse
sreddous'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? Yes
5.0
Wil, at first, is a hard protagonist to get behind, but the more we see little details about her life and the state of her home (through details like her room), the more you see why she acts the way she does and the more you want to root for her. Elwood's narrative voice is lovely; I love how in his chapters he describes things in sort of scienc-y terms while Wil is just all chaos. It's a great balance and led to distinct character voices for this duo-POV story.
I liked the descriptions a lot too. Things got REAL gross when they needed to but were respectful when they needed to, so I found myself RESPECTING this scary forest and scary nature. I could just picture this eerie, snowy, gray location, but all the plants and bugs and living things too. Super cool.
I found the ending and resolution satisfying but also difficult to predict. I believe the way the mystery and the cult's actions were built up never felt info-dump-y, and the fact that there were a few loose ends "that didn't quite make sense" until the ending I found to be actually quite natural, and I feel like ultimately this book's ending had a great balance between "all nice and tied up, all details revisited" and also "things don't always go the way you hoped." Really engaging stuff!!
I think this book could have been a liiittle longer -- I think if we maybe had a handful more pages to build the emotional connection and shared hobbies and such between Wil and Elwood, that could have helped without slogging down the overall pacing. But IMO that's a little nitpicky -- I found their connection and how Wil was unique in how she treated Elwood and how Elwood was unique in how he treated Wil to be believable. It makes sense why they think the other is special.
Really cool stuff. This is the kind of body horror and monster stuff I definitely want to keep reading!!
Graphic: Body horror, Animal death, Violence, and Child abuse
kayceeisbookish's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Child death, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Alcoholism, Animal death, Gore, Animal cruelty, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Stalking, Gaslighting, Grief, Violence, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Blood, and Religious bigotry
oracle_of_madness's review against another edition
4.5
This book definitely has some content warnings: abuse, alcoholism, murder being a few.
Wil is a strong and sometimes frustrating fmc. Her mother disappeared a year ago, and when she approached her best friend about his father's possible role in this, he took his families side, and their friendship has since been broken.
When they begin to work together again with some mutual friends, much comes to the surface about the secrets being hidden in this little town.
I really enjoyed this. I thought the author's writing style was very beautiful and that the many difficult topics were handled well.
Out August 29, 2023!
Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Physical abuse
nrogers_1030's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
Graphic: Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Blood, Animal death, Death of parent, Violence, Bullying, Murder, Alcohol, Grief, and Death
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Vomit, and Gore
Minor: Abandonment, Pregnancy, and Stalking
trippyotter's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I wasn't sure what I was expecting when I started, but I was shocked and blown away by the plot twist! I shouldn't have been. It's clearly in the summary, but it's different when you're wrapped up in the story and experiencing it.
When Wil's mother goes missing, she confronts her childhood friend, Elwood, who sides with his family. Grieving the loss of her mother and best friend, Wil sets out to discover the truth, and nothing could have prepared her for the truth.
Elwood has suffered at the hand of his father for years, and his future has been chosen for him. But when he learns the truth of his father's deceit, he will do anything to separate himself from his family and town.
I give the author mad props for the non-traditional ending! I don't think any other ending would have worked with the story, but I would love to read a novella/short when everyone comes back together in the future.
Graphic: Grief, Vomit, Alcohol, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse and Physical abuse