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jamiee_f's review against another edition
I couldn't motivate myself to finish
I looked up the ending after I met the men who created the center by paying slaves to participate and submit their bodies/souls to the process, because the book was moving too slowly, and it was no longer fun how unlikable all these characters were. I was more interested in understanding the how and why of the process, that's what I was hoping for, but it didn't feel fleshed out enough (no pun intended). I also didn't like the reveal at the end that our main character decided to dedicate her own soul to the Centre. Like...why? It was unsatisfying to me.
I wanted to like it, I wish the ending third did it for me, because the premise was so call and the first two thirds I enjoyed! I would try another work from this author.
Graphic: Classism, Sexual assault, Death, Cannibalism, Colonisation, and Slavery
Moderate: Confinement, Cultural appropriation, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, and Sexism
melliedm'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
A part of me wanted to stay in this narrative for another 200 pages, but it truly does end in a powerful place, leaving us with the questions of what Anisa has observed vs what she has learned.
Graphic: Classism, Death, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Colonisation, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Hate crime, Cannibalism, Vomit, Cultural appropriation, and Racial slurs
hazel_oat's review against another edition
- 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
1.0
Graphic: Cannibalism, Xenophobia, Death, Confinement, Sexual content, and Animal death
Moderate: Violence, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, and Classism
meg_thebrave'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Minor: Racism and Cultural appropriation
lizzym126'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
Graphic: Colonisation, Cannibalism, Body horror, Racial slurs, Death, Hate crime, Islamophobia, Confinement, Racism, and Classism
Moderate: Gore, Medical content, Vomit, Sexual content, and Cultural appropriation
jessy4550'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? No
5.0
Graphic: Cannibalism, Cultural appropriation, Death, Grief, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Classism, Drug use, and Gore
Moderate: Alcohol and Vomit
bloupibloupreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.25
Graphic: Cannibalism
Moderate: Misogyny, Islamophobia, Racism, and Murder
Minor: Classism, Colonisation, and Cultural appropriation
dafni'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Cannibalism
Moderate: Cultural appropriation and Colonisation
melanieripple's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Racism, Classism, and Cultural appropriation
Moderate: Xenophobia, Sexual assault, Death, and Islamophobia
Minor: Gore and Racial slurs
escapismforlife'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Thanks to Zando Projects for accepting me to read the eARC for The Centre, it was a ride and unexpected one for me to but I enjoyed this ominous and modern story. This book had me conscious and reflective of how varied or similiar the lifestyle of protagnist Anisa's, is. It's often tied down by her selfish mentality and vaules that come from living in this case London and the unfamiliarity of her ethnicity there.The relationships she has are not stable in a country that is not completely hers and she therefore makes a lot of her proximity to anyone more distanced.
Anisa wants more when in comes to her job that she does translating Bollywood movies,which like almost everything has become a thing to improve upon or move on from. That is of course until she is a told about the highly exclusive language school The Centre which she is told about from this guy Adam. Its a place you can go to learn to speak fluently in ten days and is meant to be kept a seceret by those who know about it. Anyways while they have a complicated date relationship to each other she goes after receiving her invite. And along the way discovers a whole lot and builds relationship with the very top person and manger Shiba . Its very obscure about what's happening until the very end and did so along the formation of them growing closer.
I definitely had no clue how this mystery or thriller ended. It was so dark but made the most sense to why everything around The Centre was so private.
Graphic: Grief, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Medical content, Misogyny, Death, Forced institutionalization, Classism, Gore, Murder, and Racial slurs