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allidone's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Graphic: Body horror, Grief, Gore, Sexual assault, Stalking, Child death, Death of parent, Abandonment, Blood, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Mental illness, Murder, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Suicide, and Torture
Minor: Emotional abuse, Animal death, and Fire/Fire injury
alliedelexa's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Moderate: Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Death of parent, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Child death, and Trafficking
bookishkale'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
First of all, I enjoyed all of the characters! I found them endearing, and I was desperate to know what happened to the Hollow sisters, where did they go so long ago? Vivi is a little grating at the beginning but I really enjoyed her character in contrast to Grey and Iris by the end of the book. Vivi is also queer, but it's done in a super casual way, which is nice to see every once in a while. Tyler is a highlight, and he adds a great dynamic to Vivi and Iris as they search for their sister. Iris' characterization makes so much sense. She's the youngest of three girls, the older two were rambunctious and rebellious, and in turn, Iris was quiet and well in order. She grapples with her identity vs her sisters, wanting to be like them, but also, trying to find herself. She's not naive like the book almost makes her out to be, since she is not as cool and interesting as her older sisters, but I never found her to be. She's the smartest one in the book and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing this world through her eyes. Her character growth by the end was well worth it. One of the best narrators I've read in a while.
For the plot, this is where I docked points. I loved that the story was centered around the three girls and their relationship with each other. I have two older sisters, so Iris, I get you. The book does not shy away from the grotesque body horror elements that a story like this needs. I just felt the pacing was off, I don't know how to explain it. I felt like the last half of the book was fantastic, but the beginning is a little slow. I just feel like it takes too long to get where they were going and the plot suffers a bit from that. But overall, everything ties up in the end, (really well, might I add!), and that's really all that matters to me. I did predict one of the mysteries, but for the question of the Hollow girls... I wasn't expecting it, and it was really well done! I applaud the choice! I think this story could have been better if Sutherland upped the age range for this book, and just went all in, no whammies.
And I cannot end this review without gushing about the imagery! Krystal Sutherland does a fantastic job of putting you right there with Iris as she experiences these horrific events. I was obsessed with each disgusting thing that she describes. I had to gag at some points because it was so realistic. I'll be thinking about the imagery in this book for a while. The book wraps you up in this nightmare with them, as it swallows you whole.
Overall, highly recommend this book for the spooky season! I'd avoid it if you can't handle any amount of horror. I can handle some so I think this book is fine if you like to watch the occasionally scary movie with friends but don't watch anything scary by yourself. It's mostly just super creepy, but I know people can be super sensitive to things! This book does not shy away from the creep factor. Be sure to check out the rest of the trigger/content warnings for this book!!
I look forward to what Krystal Sutherland releases next!
Graphic: Gaslighting, Gore, Self harm, Sexual assault, Blood, Body horror, Grief, Kidnapping, Medical content, Mental illness, Misogyny, Stalking, Violence, Sexual harassment, and Vomit
Moderate: Death of parent, Eating disorder, Bullying, Death, Child death, and Murder
Minor: Alcoholism, Alcohol, Drug use, Drug abuse, and Emotional abuse
rebeccajost's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Gaslighting, Gore, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Murder, Stalking, Bullying, Child death, Emotional abuse, Violence, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Vomit, Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Mental illness, Drug use, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicide, Torture, and Grief
modernmatilda's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Still the BEST book in the universe.
--
(Review from 2021)
•BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR•
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•
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Yes, I know it's May. But listen, it's going to be practically impossible for any book to just wander into my life and beat this one out. It was absolutely WILD and GORGEOUS and HAUNTING and CREEPY and PERFECT.
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First off, spooky cottagecore, twisted fairytale, unreliable protagonist is an entire vibe right now and I can't get enough. Just when I thought no book could fill the "Wink Poppy Midnight" void in my heart, here comes Iris and her sisters. How Krystal Sutherland left my head scrambling even after the book was closed is just *chef's kiss*. The characters were astonishing, the fantasy-nature fashion was mesmerizing, and the atmosphere, the ATMOSPHERE, was so good I'm in tears just thinking about it.
•
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Plus, is there anything more haunting and fascinating than random creepy doors in the middle of the woods?
Moderate: Drug use, Death, Self harm, Vomit, Gore, Emotional abuse, Child death, Blood, Alcohol, Suicide, Violence, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Murder, Medical trauma, Medical content, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Death of parent, and Body horror
a_libra_library's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Violence, Emotional abuse, Grief, Murder, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Suicide, and Vomit
ghostlyprince's review against another edition
- 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
1.0
Graphic: Suicide, Child death, Death, Grief, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Stalking, Trafficking, Blood, and Death of parent
Moderate: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Addiction, Misogyny, Murder, and Alcoholism
Minor: Infertility and Infidelity
sarah984's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
There's also a really stupid scene involving a character shooting a man with a shotgun while he's holding two women and somehow both women are unharmed.
Graphic: Death, Gore, Vomit, Body horror, and Eating disorder
Moderate: Child death, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Blood, Child abuse, Death of parent, Grief, and Misogyny
Minor: Animal death, Homophobia, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Alcohol, Bullying, and Emotional abuse
baileyraebooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Most of the twists were guessable but in this case I took that to be a sign of good writing rather than bad storytelling. The seeds were planted early on if you were looking for them and know a bit about folklore, which I was and I did.
I read that Krystal Sutherland is working on another folky horror novel, and I am so excited for that!
Graphic: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Drug abuse
jessica_upfold'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? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Gore, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, and Vomit