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alliemikennareads'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
This really had me hooked from start to finish and was not too predictable at all. I felt like I was hanging on every word. I loved these characters deeply - The Eastwood sisters, Cleo, August, the general narrative voice.
It's going to take me awhile to recover from this in the best possible way.
Graphic: Violence, Pregnancy, Child abuse, Confinement, and Torture
Moderate: Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, and Sexual assault
Minor: Abortion and Abandonment
anaguana's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Sexism, Homophobia, Torture, Racism, Sexual assault, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Suicide, Abortion, and Death
Minor: Transphobia
anniereads221's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Gaslighting, Abortion, Homophobia, Grief, Medical content, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Racism, Sexual assault, Slavery, and Torture
nebulasaurus'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? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Police brutality, Racism, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Torture, Cursing, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
annikareads_'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
Moderate: Death, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Sexism, and Misogyny
milesaway_'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
4.0
Graphic: Misogyny, Racism, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Death of parent, Hate crime, and Cursing
Moderate: Sexual assault and Abortion
Minor: Transphobia and Abandonment
sparklingginger'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Torture, Misogyny, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Sexism, Murder, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Abandonment, Grief, Lesbophobia, Animal death, Racism, Transphobia, Abortion, Death of parent, Outing, Pregnancy, and Sexual assault
laisai'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
Moderate: Classism, Xenophobia, Sexual harassment, Pregnancy, Misogyny, Fire/Fire injury, Domestic abuse, Cursing, Child abuse, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Racism, Lesbophobia, Forced institutionalization, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Abandonment, Abortion, Child abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Hate crime, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Blood, Colonisation, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Grief, Physical abuse, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexism, Slavery, Transphobia, Violence, and Xenophobia
elliebeemellie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
2.5
I feel like I really should have liked this book, but it really didn't resonate with me. The writing was alright, but I struggled to connect with the characters, and I felt like any promise the story may have had was overshadowed by how it approached its social messaging. Don't get me wrong, I love allegorical stories that force readers to think hard about how they view the world, but this didn't do it for me.
I also felt like the conversation about intersectionality needed more attention. It felt very sidelined to me, which was a little jarring considering the whole book was a critique about systems of oppression.
Tldr; It's not a bad book, but it's definitely not for me.
Moderate: Homophobia, Sexism, and Child abuse
Minor: Racism and Sexual assault
andromeda_1998's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Characters
Juniper is the wild witch child everyone needs. She’s free, furious, stubborn and fearless. She’s the reason I read this book to the end. It’s interesting to read how she grew up and how she fought herself free of her fathers influence.
Beatrice is the mousy booknerd who is curious, kind and brave. O and gayyyyy. The gay icon we need. I enjoyed her as a character. She’s a character with a lot of flaws but that makes her human.
Agnes is the “strongest” sister is the line that is used many times and well I’m not really seeing it. It’s a lot of telling and the writer is often more intensely describing that she’s pregnant instead of giving her a real character. She’s always scared and running, throwing her sisters under the bus. Frankly she’s the coward of the story. And in my opinion she’s the weakest sister. Since she’s the one who’s scared to open her heart.
Worldbuilding
The world is inspired by 1800 Salem with a lot of American witchcraft. The magic system is beautiful and in some ways very real. Lullabies and nursery rimes have always been the things keeping mothers and children connected. It wouldn’t be weird if some magic can still be found in these story’s.
Storytelling
The book is hard to get into. It isn’t some easy read but it’s worth it. The writing is spectacular and the plot is amazing. The story is full of diverse characters and it’s a full on recommendation for anyone.
Graphic: Abandonment, Confinement, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexism, Domestic abuse, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Child abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, and Slavery
Minor: Abortion and Transphobia