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3.46 AVERAGE
3.46 AVERAGE
I picked this up for a fun horror read with some sapphic representation. Not enough character development imo, but at least for the first half of the book I was enjoying the plot. It was a relatively quick read too, so I wasn’t regretting my decision — until the ending. Not because of a plot twist I found myself disagreeable with, but rather because the ending wasn’t really an ending... If anything, it felt pretty lazy. Rushed, with no real closure to sooo many questions. 2.5 rounded down. If a sequel was promised, probably would’ve been a 3.
More of a 3.5 maybe?
The story had a promising start and I immediately loved the descriptions of how each girl had changed. The story kind of built up this air of otherness and I was hooked, flying through each page to find out more.
Turns out that there wasn’t really much more to find out. As the story gained momentum, the writing felt like it dissolved into rushed tropes and strange interactions. People go from literally tearing at each other to calm conversations in a paragraph. Main characters make decisions that completely undo any development the previous pages have built up and side characters are thrown away to make convenient moments of drama.
The Tox itself and the effects on the girls were so interesting to me, but it all led to the same old tropes. Maybe this suffered a bit from debut-novel-itus, rushed endings and too-easy plot developments galore. But there were strong bones under all the mess, and I liked the bones.
But please god let me never read the name Byatt again.
The story had a promising start and I immediately loved the descriptions of how each girl had changed. The story kind of built up this air of otherness and I was hooked, flying through each page to find out more.
Turns out that there wasn’t really much more to find out. As the story gained momentum, the writing felt like it dissolved into rushed tropes and strange interactions. People go from literally tearing at each other to calm conversations in a paragraph. Main characters make decisions that completely undo any development the previous pages have built up and side characters are thrown away to make convenient moments of drama.
The Tox itself and the effects on the girls were so interesting to me, but it all led to the same old tropes. Maybe this suffered a bit from debut-novel-itus, rushed endings and too-easy plot developments galore. But there were strong bones under all the mess, and I liked the bones.
But please god let me never read the name Byatt again.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
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
dark
tense
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Pandemic/Epidemic
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
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
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Omg. i was a little apprehensive when i started to read this hecause i dont like horror. But the grisly aspectes of it were well balanced with the thriller portions. Characters were a little flat but that’s ok they were still good. The plot was intese and gripping. I didn’t like the ending.