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slivovitsa's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-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
0.5
Read this for book club, I do not recommend. The author over-explains all the themes and the central premise of the 7 skins (the book is structured into 7 parts) gets repeated ad nauseam. Also on the writing, you better know 80s music because listing song names and artists is used as a mood-setting device, which I couldn't get into.
Overall, the main character is unlikeable and, despite this clearly trying to be a feminist novel, Esther (protagonist) ignores all the female mentors to chase after male attention, which the author chalks up to "love" but the ending is actually very messed up and unsatisfying.
I wish the book was half the length, without a love interest, and that the author leant into the mystic, fairytale worlds she built well and actually left something to the reader's imagination!
Overall, the main character is unlikeable and, despite this clearly trying to be a feminist novel, Esther (protagonist) ignores all the female mentors to chase after male attention, which the author chalks up to "love" but the ending is actually very messed up and unsatisfying.
I wish the book was half the length, without a love interest, and that the author leant into the mystic, fairytale worlds she built well and actually left something to the reader's imagination!
Content Warnings
Minor: Car accident and Death
kt_schutte's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Animal death
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Miscarriage, Blood, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Vomit, Medical trauma, and Infertility
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
whoisajax's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Miscarriage, and Death
Moderate: Death
hannah_the_bookworm's review against another edition
Too dark and slow
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident
Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Grief, Alcohol, and Death
livcashmere's review
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Miscarriage, Child death, Death, Infertility, Mental illness, and Suicide
aloserful's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Miscarriage, Suicide, Death, Infertility, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Pregnancy
erica_cb's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Alcohol, Death, and Miscarriage
Minor: Animal death, Self harm, Pregnancy, Mental illness, and Vomit
bookstorian's review against another edition
4.5
One year after the disappearance of her sister Aurora, Esther returns home for her memorial. Despite the time Esther and her family still cannot come to terms with her disappearance and so she travels from Tasmania to Copenhagen and then to the Faroe Islands along with Aurora’s diary in search of answers. A deeply moving and masterfully written novel that explores family, belonging, grief and transformation. Trust me, this book is just as enchanting as it’s cover art.
Whilst there were some elements of the novel that I found a bit frustrating (especially relationships at the end of the novel) as well as frequent repetition I really enjoyed being swept away by Esther’s story.
What I liked most about the novel was how intricately woven together everything was in order for the structure of the novel to work. From Aurora’s journal, to the fairy tales, rituals, Indigenous myths, the concept of skin and everything else in between. I truly appreciate just how much time the author has taken to create the plot and shape the characters and make all these concepts work in harmony together in one novel.
Flipping through my copy it is covered in highlight as I marvelled at Ringland’s lyrical writing, it was such a magical read. Other aspects of the story that I loved included the iridescent and incredibly vivid description of setting (and food) as well as the cast of characters and revelations that happened at each location, stories truly belong to places. In addition, the exploration of female stories, intertwined with the intimate exploration of sisterhood, motherhood and self transformation.
Not only have I stepped away with knew knowledge on so many topics, I desperately want to travel to not just Copenhagen but also the Faroe Islands now.
Similar to The Last Migration/Migrations
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, and Death
elsea_readingelsea's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Suicide
Moderate: Self harm and Miscarriage
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