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hunkydory's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Misogyny, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Blood, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Physical abuse, and Alcohol
Minor: Death of parent, Animal death, Confinement, and Fire/Fire injury
mooshake'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? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Gore, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, Blood, Racism, and Body shaming
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Adult/minor relationship, and Animal death
erkietheturkey's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Death, Pedophilia, Violence, Body horror, Child death, Classism, Death of parent, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Sexism, and Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Animal death, Gore, Gun violence, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Homophobia, Pregnancy, Racism, Sexual assault, and Confinement
Minor: Medical content
chichio'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
4.75
The writing in this book was unbelievable—so atmospheric and full of details without being unnecessarily convoluted. I could quite literally see all of the imagery in my mind’s eye, and there were very clear moments where I was able to watch characters move throughout the space as though I were watching a movie. On the topic of imagery, the horrific elements of this book were so creative and grotesque. I loved every single second of it.
Also, obsessed with our protagonist Immanuelle! Loved her so much. The author did an amazing job writing this character, to the point where even when she made decisions that I didn’t agree with, I still felt as though they were justifiable because of the kind of person she’d been crafted by the author to be.
The only reason why this isn’t getting the whole 5 stars from me is the pacing, namely near the very end of the book.
Still, this was a fantastic horror read for autumn written by a black author with a black protagonist! I enjoyed it all so much and will definitely checking out more from this author.
Graphic: Misogyny, Blood, Gore, Death of parent, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Sexism
Moderate: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, and Emotional abuse
universeofdust'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? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Death, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Racism, Physical abuse, Miscarriage, and Animal death
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Classism, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Confinement, Sexual violence, Rape, and Torture
decie's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Torture, Blood, Body horror, Rape, Sexism, Animal death, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Death, Gun violence, Religious bigotry, Violence, Confinement, Death of parent, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Self harm and Racism
charlereads's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Violence, Sexism, Self harm, Rape, Pedophilia, Murder, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Death, Classism, War, Torture, Terminal illness, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Confinement, Blood, and Animal death
bnelson13'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? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Religious bigotry, Violence, War, Cursing, Animal death, Blood, Death of parent, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Gore, Grief, Misogyny, Murder, Child death, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Torture
janeywaneyb's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.5
Minor: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, and Religious bigotry
emily_journals'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? Yes
3.5
Ok, now for some spoiler specific review comments to explain the above points:
2.) The mom issue was never resolved. Immanuelle's mom supposedly was consorting with these three witch spirits to curse the entire town (not just the people who caused all of her pain). Immanuelle goes through all of these steps and discoveries that her mom essentially used her as a conduit to bring the curse to the town (which is also why only Immanuelle can stop it), and that her mom left Immanuelle to just become only this thing to carry the curse. However, when Immanuelle goes and finds her grandma (dad's mom) who left Bethel, she says that Immanuelle's mom was so over protective of Immanuelle even before she was born, and how excited she was to have her baby and how she would never reduce Immanuelle to essentially an object to carry out the curse. But this thread is never resolved. It just is left dangling, and the only resolution we get is that Immanuelle's mom really did just use Immanuelle to deliver this curse? Which again, reduces the point this book is making by having this woman who is betrayed and hurt by all the men in power in Bethel reduce her own child to an object (which is what this book seems to be trying to protest, the objectification of women and how the men of Bethel think that they can do whatever they want with these women).
3.) There is kind of a "white savior" ending. Not fully, but there are little bits and pieces of it with the love interest (white boy) saving Immanuelle multiple times at the end, so that she can then save the town. I don't think it's a full white savior, but the fact that he needed to save Immanuelle at all was a little irksome, as it is proven throughout the whole book that Immanuelle is very capable on her own, so I thought it was a little frustrating that the author did this when we, the audience, know it's not needed.
Graphic: Gore, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual violence, Death, Racism, Torture, Violence, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Animal death, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Death of parent