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ghast's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, and Death
Moderate: Car accident, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
Minor: Child abuse and Vomit
catapocalypse's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
4.25
It's a hard decision for rating; I'd say 4 stars for execution, but 4.5 is closer for my own personal enjoyment of the book, so I've landed on 4.25 stars.
This is an intense exploration of grief about a man dealing both with the death of his wife as well as with a malevolent force hounding him. It weaves in a variety of other timely anxieties, like always-listening electronic assistants, the many angles of the relentless media cycle, and being a bit disconnected from one's own heritage.
Main thing I want to note is that the first 25-30 pages are slower than one might expect, but then the speculative bits start seeping in, and things really pick up speed as it goes. So I recommend sticking with it, even if the beginning doesn't quite grab you!
Other than that, the ending felt a little weak compared to how hard things go in the middle. It feels as if there are a number of compelling ways things could have gone, but things unravel without pursuing any of them in a satisfying way.
This is a great debut, and I'm eager to read more from this author!
This is an intense exploration of grief about a man dealing both with the death of his wife as well as with a malevolent force hounding him. It weaves in a variety of other timely anxieties, like always-listening electronic assistants, the many angles of the relentless media cycle, and being a bit disconnected from one's own heritage.
Main thing I want to note is that the first 25-30 pages are slower than one might expect, but then the speculative bits start seeping in, and things really pick up speed as it goes. So I recommend sticking with it, even if the beginning doesn't quite grab you!
Other than that, the ending felt a little weak compared to how hard things go in the middle. It feels as if there are a number of compelling ways things could have gone, but things unravel without pursuing any of them in a satisfying way.
This is a great debut, and I'm eager to read more from this author!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Animal death, Blood, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Death
Moderate: Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Child abuse, Incest, Racism, and Rape
lilacwhisker's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
An interesting read. I thought the way the author describes death and grief was great, but a lot of the time this book is also confusing. I assumed there would be more of a focus on the Itza, and that this would be a creepy story about a haunted home device or something, but it’s not really talked about for most of the book. Overall, not too bad.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Animal death, Death, Gore, and Body horror
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Sexual content
bi_n_large's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Murder, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Child abuse
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