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scifi_rat's review against another edition
3.0
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Addiction, Murder, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Colonisation, Death, Drug use, Gaslighting, Grief, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Rape and Pedophilia
kitaandarchie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Rape, Torture, Violence, Alcoholism, Body horror, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Blood, Child abuse, Cursing, Death of parent, Racism, Toxic relationship, Gore, Drug abuse, Drug use, Murder, and Physical abuse
bethanyf22's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Moderate: Alcohol, Drug use, Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, and Death of parent
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Sexual assault
blacksphinx'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
3.5
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Body horror, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Alcoholism, Suicide attempt, Emotional abuse, Addiction, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Gaslighting, Incest, Sexual assault, and Ableism
Minor: Police brutality, Mental illness, Abandonment, Forced institutionalization, Colonisation, War, and Car accident
TW: Child sexual assault, ableist slur (the r-word)bkwrm1317'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
A new voice (for me) in horror to eat right up. Loved this metal head, the Lofa haunting her, and the slow burn reveal about her mother who went missing two days after her birth, presumed dead. Definitely worth the read!
Check CWs
Moderate: Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, and Incest
Minor: Addiction, Death of parent, Murder, Alcoholism, and Suicide attempt
rachaelwho's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Edited to add: apparently the author is possibly a white woman presenting herself as indigenous, which would honestly make *so* much sense. This book felt so generically, vaguely native, with a few con picuous references to "pretendians," "generokees," and "great great grandma Cherokee princesses." But I thought it was just like how badly the author wanted us to know Kari was sooooo metal and sooo badass and hot and not like other girls. Ugh! Could've saved myself some time if I'd looked into her. Seriously, skip this trash fire.
Graphic: Abandonment, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Blood, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Addiction, and Child abuse
Moderate: Gaslighting, Incest, Gun violence, Suicide attempt, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Genocide, Racism, and Slavery
thebearnest'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
3.75
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Cursing, Sexual content, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Death, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Drug abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, Drug use, Colonisation, and Addiction
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, and Gun violence
crazybooklady91's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Murder, Mental illness, Chronic illness, Alcoholism, Addiction, Sexual harassment, Drug abuse, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Rape, and Death of parent
cait_henry56's review against another edition
Graphic: Addiction, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, and Alcoholism
minimicropup'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
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Our MC is a recovering addict trying to manage adulting while caring for a parent with a brain injury and dealing with their anger and grief over their mother going missing when they were just a baby.
πΊπGrowls, Howls, and Tail Wags:
π€¨ Kari was such a frustrating character. I think she was supposed to be rough-around-the-edges, assertive, take-no-bull, but all I was getting was a 30-something going on 13 trying to convince others she's non-conformist, and super edgy. She is offended by EVERYTHING and so obtuse and stubborn. She wants (demands) answers but doesn't listen to what anyone says or rolls her eyes at their perspectives then whines about no one helping her.
π I don't mind unlikeable/annoying narrators but so much of the story was wrapped up in Kari's repetitive angsty, martyr complex monologues and dialogues. If someone advised her to use the bridge because the path is flooded, she would use the path and complain for pages about how everyone is out to get her because she almost drowned (even if all that really happened was her feet got wet). Okay, that doesn't literally happen in the story, but it's an example of what to expect throughout and it comes at the expense of the character and plot development. For about the first third of the novel it's also ALL we get.
π The writing style was almost point form or something. I had to keep rereading sentences, it didn't flow well. That's fine for a good story but...it wasn't a good story (or rather was, but was told poorly). For example, Kari would be observing that there are multiple men in a room and then note that "he lit a cigarette and said _____"...with no defining of WHICH man in the room did it.
π΄ Tell vs show imbalanced. We get lots of telling of how invested Kari is in solving what happened to her mother, but the actions don't back anything up. We get lots of show (often plopped in the middle of action or clues) about how she's doing things, like how she lights a cigarette, how she moves, arranges her face, gazes etc.
π« Not a horror. The horror is a B-plot at best, more like C-plot. I define horror as anything that could be horrific, including IRL happenings, but it's barely touched on even though so much could have been done to give voice to the indigenous experience and perspective of grief, trauma, and family.
π«₯ Zero world building. She walk into a building. Is it a house? trailer? apartment? store? We know a LOT about the door she knocked on but nothing else. Real-life location name-dropping too. Sometimes we get a description but most of the time we are told lists of places she is visiting in these towns with nothing more, as if all us non-Colorado readers somehow know like, "yeah that place IS gnarly!"
π¬ I can't speak at all to the accuracy or authenticity of the Indigenous rep in this book. Compared to other novels I've read, I thought this read as what non-indigenous people imagine the native experience to be. Lots of repetitive "what tribe are you?" but no progression beyond. Even if this was supposed to be a cathartic read for some, it felt off. It read more like 23-and-me + identifying other indigenous people because they say spiritual stuff or are one with nature. A lot of the characters were giving "Indian princess syndrome" where they romanticized white people but mentioned their "nativeness" when useful for getting away with things. I hope that makes sense, it's hard for me to know and I may be missing something really deep, cathartic, or symbolic. Would love to hear more from a variety of Indigenous readers and background for how they felt about this story and what it has to say.
Mood Reading Match Up:
- Character-based narrative about values, outlooks, opinions, and actions of a main character
- Off-the-rails self-sabotage and who-to-trust drama
- Murder victim paranormal/spiritual dream scenes, hallucinations, and seeing the past through their eyes
- Gritty, noir style stories
Content Heads-Up: Alcohol and drug use (intentional, self-medicating, partying, overdose, addiction). Brain injury disability. Parental abandonment (missing). Indigenous experience in US (not sure about accuracy, realism, commentary, or health). Sexual content (consenting, intoxicated). Controlling spouse. Blood.
Moderate: Addiction, Cultural appropriation, Blood, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, and Murder