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aberdonian67's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
VERY dark and pretty disturbing. Is not the fun sci-fi action mystery that the description suggests - more a surreal philosophical journey about humanity and death.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
Moderate: Abortion and Miscarriage
skudiklier's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Holy shit this book was wild. Just...the most mind-bending thing I have ever read, full stop.
I thought I knew what this book would be like; I read the summary, and the "letter to the reader" at the beginning was, in my opinion at the time of reading it, too detailed and spoilery. I thought it gave away exactly where the book was going.
I could not have been more wrong.
This book takes you on a journey for a while. It feels dark and weird, sure, but it also feels relatively expected. I took notes about how it felt aggressively white, and I rolled my eyes at some of the male-centric pieces I disliked.
But I don't even know how to talk about this book without giving it away...it's like one of those things where the premise is built on a twist, so you can't tell people why they should read/watch it, but you just reassure them "trust me, it gets better."
I don't know that I'd necessarily recommend this to anyone; it kind of fucked me up. It ended, and I was reeling, and then the eARC I got just went on with white pages for a while. There wasn't anything at the end to bring me back into the real world, no note from the author, nothing. I just was stuck having had this experience that no one could possibly understand or relate to.
What I will say is that this book made me think, and is still making me think. Kennedy is also amazing at referencing earlier small parts of the text that you nearly could have missed; all the little details we learn about the narrator's life, every small strange thing or tangent off to the side, it all comes back in the end. And it doesn't feel forced, even though it doesn't feel natural either—how could it, given how strange the ending is.
This book is a masterpiece, and unlike anything I've ever read. I don't know if I can forget it, even though part of me wishes I could.
Thank you to Netgalley and Quirk Books for the chance to review this ARC.
I thought I knew what this book would be like; I read the summary, and the "letter to the reader" at the beginning was, in my opinion at the time of reading it, too detailed and spoilery. I thought it gave away exactly where the book was going.
I could not have been more wrong.
This book takes you on a journey for a while. It feels dark and weird, sure, but it also feels relatively expected. I took notes about how it felt aggressively white, and I rolled my eyes at some of the male-centric pieces I disliked.
But I don't even know how to talk about this book without giving it away...it's like one of those things where the premise is built on a twist, so you can't tell people why they should read/watch it, but you just reassure them "trust me, it gets better."
I don't know that I'd necessarily recommend this to anyone; it kind of fucked me up. It ended, and I was reeling, and then the eARC I got just went on with white pages for a while. There wasn't anything at the end to bring me back into the real world, no note from the author, nothing. I just was stuck having had this experience that no one could possibly understand or relate to.
What I will say is that this book made me think, and is still making me think. Kennedy is also amazing at referencing earlier small parts of the text that you nearly could have missed; all the little details we learn about the narrator's life, every small strange thing or tangent off to the side, it all comes back in the end. And it doesn't feel forced, even though it doesn't feel natural either—how could it, given how strange the ending is.
This book is a masterpiece, and unlike anything I've ever read. I don't know if I can forget it, even though part of me wishes I could.
Thank you to Netgalley and Quirk Books for the chance to review this ARC.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Drug use, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Pedophilia and Sexual content
Minor: Fatphobia, Homophobia, and Racism
homophobia: f slur
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