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talasterism's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-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
the beauty of the writing captivated me alright. it's visual - blue bleeding up to heaven; the bay snuck up to swallow her toes; the blue-lit black of nights, the afternoon was crisp on her skin; time at the edge of the sea; - and evoking just enough pleased sighs to keep going.
but overall, the book for me always, from the first chapter, was borderline uncomofrtable, walking the thin like of i dont wanna put this away and the implied / off-screen uncertainties make something unpleasant under my skin crawl. some chapters i hated, the one from the teacher's slice of life, nothing but itching discomfort. some i loved - the one with olya was my favourite, the realness of bitter happiness and the beauty of relishing in aloneness. (even if it all happened, olya wouldnt tell them how the colours changed here. she would share nothing. they would never find out they missed the most beautiful day of autumn, where olya, alone, had been in its very centre. how good olya would feel to keep this secret. how safe it was inside ehrself) with so many characters, i have expected a more satisfying tie-in with each other at the end of the story, and to a degree it did happen, but by far not as thrilling as desired. also a fun aspect were the chapters through the months. also the endingis surprisngly optimistic. i really did not excpect to have a resolution, OR a happy ending, but it was a pleasant surprise.
that quick breath, promising to adore her / her body was cold with late-arrived fear; his mouth was hot / the desire that contninued to knot them together / the cold garbber her lungs in two fists / an ache that was native / sweet grit in her throat / in one minute she was lvoely, and in the next she was a ghost / she was a beast. this was her hallow; inisde her was white and smooth, a frozen landscape, solid bone; carrying their hearts in each other's chests; a little love, a little rage, a lot of ocean water / two or three hours, and after, an eternity- are some of the lines that could be straight up of a poem. and at good times, it what it felt like. a beautifully visual poem, a tragedy of fear, an ode to dwinlding hope.
but overall, the book for me always, from the first chapter, was borderline uncomofrtable, walking the thin like of i dont wanna put this away and the implied / off-screen uncertainties make something unpleasant under my skin crawl. some chapters i hated, the one from the teacher's slice of life, nothing but itching discomfort. some i loved - the one with olya was my favourite, the realness of bitter happiness and the beauty of relishing in aloneness. (even if it all happened, olya wouldnt tell them how the colours changed here. she would share nothing. they would never find out they missed the most beautiful day of autumn, where olya, alone, had been in its very centre. how good olya would feel to keep this secret. how safe it was inside ehrself) with so many characters, i have expected a more satisfying tie-in with each other at the end of the story, and to a degree it did happen, but by far not as thrilling as desired. also a fun aspect were the chapters through the months. also the ending
that quick breath, promising to adore her / her body was cold with late-arrived fear; his mouth was hot / the desire that contninued to knot them together / the cold garbber her lungs in two fists / an ache that was native / sweet grit in her throat / in one minute she was lvoely, and in the next she was a ghost / she was a beast. this was her hallow; inisde her was white and smooth, a frozen landscape, solid bone; carrying their hearts in each other's chests; a little love, a little rage, a lot of ocean water / two or three hours, and after, an eternity- are some of the lines that could be straight up of a poem. and at good times, it what it felt like. a beautifully visual poem, a tragedy of fear, an ode to dwinlding hope.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical trauma, Kidnapping, and Racism
Moderate: Confinement, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Cancer, and Child abuse
Minor: Animal death, Pedophilia, and Torture
adelal's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Racism, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Ableism, Death, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Cancer and Pedophilia
aargot1's review
slow-paced
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Racism, Adult/minor relationship, and Pedophilia
claire_s's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- 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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Ableism, Trafficking, Sexism, Racism, Pregnancy, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, and Pedophilia
piakau's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
The book was fine but I'm tired of white American authors writing about cultures (particularly Indigenous cultures) they have no connection to. If I had realized that was the case for this I wouldn't have picked it up and I found it hard to ignore as I was reading the story.
The book reads like a collection of short stories. I enjoyed the format and style of writing initially but got a bit tired of trying to keep up with all the characters and reading story after story about miserable and powerless women. I know lots of people love the ending but I personally think it would have been stronger without the last chapter which felt almost like an add-on to give readers a tidy (unrealistic) ending.
The book reads like a collection of short stories. I enjoyed the format and style of writing initially but got a bit tired of trying to keep up with all the characters and reading story after story about miserable and powerless women. I know lots of people love the ending but I personally think it would have been stronger without the last chapter which felt almost like an add-on to give readers a tidy (unrealistic) ending.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Kidnapping, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, and Sexism
sarahbuckley's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Different from any of the things I usually read. The ending left me both satisfied and also desperate for more. I wasn’t really expecting an anthology, which I think I would consider this book, with one thread connecting every story. It took me forever to finish this book because of this but if that’s your vibe I think this was excellent!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping and Racism
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Pedophilia
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