Scan barcode
nojerama's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Deadnaming, Infidelity, Terminal illness, Trafficking, Bullying, Cursing, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Violence, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Outing, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Ableism, Acephobia/Arophobia, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Body shaming, Child abuse, Classism, Colonisation, Drug use, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Hate crime, Lesbophobia, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Rape, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, and Transphobia
znvisser's review against another edition
- 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? No
3.5
Graphic: Homophobia, Biphobia, Transphobia, Lesbophobia, and Religious bigotry
rjo's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
5.0
Graphic: Grief, Misogyny, Sexual content, Blood, Body horror, Death, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Lesbophobia, Hate crime, Murder, Violence, Homophobia, Transphobia, and Torture
Moderate: Child death, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Police brutality, Pedophilia, and Death of parent
Minor: Trafficking and Kidnapping
maceydowns's review
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Child abuse, Classism, Death, Grief, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, and Sexual content
laurataylor's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexism, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Dysphoria, Hate crime, Lesbophobia, Alcohol, Body horror, Drug use, and Blood
noahsingh's review
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Things I liked about this book: fantasy elements were really good, queer and trans main characters, great worldbuilding, I liked that you got to see so many character's perspectives, really enjoyed the writing stuff
Things I didn't like: that there were so many characters so spread out that by the time I reached the points were they all intersected I could only make sense of it by going back and taking notes on names/which character they were, etc. also the ending felt a bit cheesy for me at times.
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Lesbophobia, Transphobia, and Homophobia
Moderate: Death of parent, Suicide, and Sexual assault
Minor: Pregnancy
jayisreading's review against another edition
4.0
The pacing was a little awkward, and sometimes it was hard to keep track of what was happening, but I found Osunde’s storytelling captivating.
Graphic: Sexism, Lesbophobia, Homophobia, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, and Death
Moderate: Murder and Violence
thewordsdevourer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
the book's premise is so fresh in concept w/ the world of the living and in-betweens overlaying one another. the exploration of its themes through the lagos setting is incisive and thought-provoking, and the queer characters + their stories range from macabre to sad to wholesome.
however, i personally find this book not very readable; aside from how surprisingly dense it is, sth just makes getting through it low-key a chore, making it the book i take the longest to finish this yr. the pacing could be a factor as it slogs at times, w/ the middle chunk esp rambling bc of the huge cast of interconnected characters who arent explored deeply enough. the novel's inventive concept couldve gone further into more fun - or at least unexpected - territory as well; somehow the magic and supernatural aspects of it arent fully taken advantage of, im afraid.
this is a provocative novel that treats queer stories w/ care and nuance, and adeptly explores themes that also interlink w/ its setting. im personally inspired by its craft but also think it hasnt yet reached its full potential both in terms of story and structure.
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, and Sexism
Moderate: Confinement, Murder, Sexual content, and Violence
Minor: Suicide, Abandonment, Cancer, and Infidelity