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arlenren's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Do you like staying up to gone midnight helplessly sobbing over a book? If so, read this one.
I wasn't sure when I opened it, because I could see that Kurtagich was doing interesting things with font and format that made the book feel a little young for me...but then I reminded myself that this was a book for teemagers and I am an adult, and I got over that pretty quickly. The moment I got into the flow of this book I couldn't escape. I read this in a single evening, unable to sleep until I'd finished it, even if I did have to pause to scrub the tears from my face right at the end. I wouldn't say that I found this book scary, and there were only two parts which unsettled me, but horror is a very personal thing. To someone in the target audience, this could well be far creepier. The tension was excellently maintained throughout without becoming so claustrophobic that I had to put it down, and the unraveling of the truth broke my heart. This book HURT and it was so damn cathartic. This one is going to stay with me for a long time. Please do check the trigger warnings as it very deftly deals with a number of sensitive topics.
I wasn't sure when I opened it, because I could see that Kurtagich was doing interesting things with font and format that made the book feel a little young for me...but then I reminded myself that this was a book for teemagers and I am an adult, and I got over that pretty quickly. The moment I got into the flow of this book I couldn't escape. I read this in a single evening, unable to sleep until I'd finished it, even if I did have to pause to scrub the tears from my face right at the end. I wouldn't say that I found this book scary, and there were only two parts which unsettled me, but horror is a very personal thing. To someone in the target audience, this could well be far creepier. The tension was excellently maintained throughout without becoming so claustrophobic that I had to put it down, and the unraveling of the truth broke my heart. This book HURT and it was so damn cathartic. This one is going to stay with me for a long time. Please do check the trigger warnings as it very deftly deals with a number of sensitive topics.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder
Moderate: Suicide, Death, Self harm, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, and Child death
Minor: Animal death
karamelka_kar19's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Some parts I liked a lot, but some of them felt repetitive to the point where there is nothing new being written. It's just the same jumble of words repeated over and over and over again. And I admit - that was The point, I really felt every spiral and curve of this characters lives. All of the book is constantly high stakes, no stopping by for rest. I really liked how the text is part of a narrative, flowing and sinking, you can almost experience the same feeling.
The ending is a little cheesy, perhaps too sunshiny and happy for me, too much of a contrast compared to dark and moldy suffering.
All this good and deep writing, but I don't think I will pick up something from this author in the near future. I feel like I need a vacation or something after this book, cats and endless sleep included. Maybe someday I'll actually decide that I need to suffer more - then I'll come back, why not.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Gore, Suicide, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Body horror, and Death of parent
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