Reviews with content warning for Gaslighting - The Centre

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The Centre by Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi

12 reviews

chris_reads's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective 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

4.0

The end felt a little abrupt. Characters could be frustrating but were ultimately compelling. The prose and themes are where this book really shines though.

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parissummerreads's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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jamiee_f's review against another edition

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I loved the premise, I liked our main character, and I was so excited to understand the mystery of The Centre! Anisa was sassy and online and very millenial which I appreciated. She's even kind of an unlikeable main character, which I usually enjoy. There was good commentary on success, friendships, relationships, finding yourself, being an immigrant/child of immigrants, cultural appropriation, who has a right to write which stories, class consciousness, and I liked most of that but it was a LOT to tackle all at once. Then it just.....absolutely dragged in the last half/third.

I couldn't motivate myself to finish

after it seemed like we were slowly driving towards magic cannibalism without a real explanation, and it seemed like all our characters were on board with it. I guessed it would be some sort of cannibalism pretty early on, but by the end it felt like the metaphor of cannibalizing people's souls for cannibalizing culture got SO heavy handed but also didn't go far enough.

I looked up the ending after I met the men who created the center by paying slaves to participate and submit their bodies/souls to the process, because the book was moving too slowly, and it was no longer fun how unlikable all these characters were. I was more interested in understanding the how and why of the process, that's what I was hoping for, but it didn't feel fleshed out enough (no pun intended). I also didn't like the reveal at the end that our main character decided to dedicate her own soul to the Centre. Like...why? It was unsatisfying to me.

I wanted to like it, I wish the ending third did it for me, because the premise was so call and the first two thirds I enjoyed! I would try another work from this author.

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hazel_oat's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

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zarakoconnor's review

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dark informative reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Amazing commentary on colonialism, language and racism. Very reflective about the value we hold in non western voices, especially in story telling. Would recommend to anyone wanting to diversify their reading.

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emilywemily6's review against another edition

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mysterious 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? It's complicated

3.75

I was underwhelmed by this book based on my expectations. In general I found a lot to like about it, but felt that it was neither comic nor a true horror novel, as this book was described. It felt much more like a literary fiction novel with a sprinkle of horror elements. There wasn’t much suspense throughout the story even though the truth was hinted at being mysterious the whole time. I wasn’t even phased when the truth came out. I didn’t like particularly like the main character and found that she became more hypocritical throughout the book, like she was trying so hard to appear woke but then failed to see her own classist/racist/etc. shortcomings. The narrative felt very intimate, but because my dislike increased throughout the book for the main character, that intimacy was not my favorite. I found the discussions on language/linguistics interesting, and also the basic premise of The Centre. I also like how the narrative showed that the main character was actually recording for The Centre. The novels she translated also sounded super interesting! The ending was anticlimactic though, and her decision in the end didn’t really fit with her character up until that point in the story. I think I was hoping for more suspense and horror throughout this book, and even the big reveal was lacking. If you love literary fiction and want to tread lightly into horror, this is for you.

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lavaly_1's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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melchncookies's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark funny mysterious tense fast-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

4.0

This book is very “soylent green is people”.

It’s very well written. I didn’t like the end because we don’t know what Anisa finally chose. Did she agree to continue with the Centre or not? I don’t love a cliff hanger that will not have a resolution. And I don’t think there will be a part 2, but I could be wrong.

I do like how the characters are explored both good and bad ways. I like how very different each character is and the bonds they form. It really felt like reading real life with a fictional spin. So, great story. I didn’t pick out the twist, but I can see how someone might be able to see it coming. It was fun to be on the receiving end of total shock. I audibly said my opening phrase. Don’t read the opening phrase if you want to keep the mystery alive.

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bookburdy's review

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challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

This was rather boring. The Centre by Ayesha Manazir Siddiqui was a peculiar one. I had high hopes and wanted to love it. I had just finished reading "The Drowning Kind" and was still in the mood for gothic horror, thinking this book would satisfy that craving. Unfortunately, it did not. Initially, The Centre was intriguing, but the majority of the book (about 95%) turned out to be a contemporary story with a main character who was not only sad but also slightly annoying, and not in a fun way. It wasn't until we reached the twist that I was genuinely shocked. It caught me off guard and was not what I was expecting, but it was only mentioned in one sentence before moving on. However, the book continued with the annoying characters, dragging on until it finally concluded its main message. I almost gave up on this book at around 80%. I gave it two stars solely because of the twist. I wouldn't categorize it as horror; it felt more like a contemporary mystery. It was definitely a book with a distinct "vibe." If you're in the mood for a melancholic, gothic, mysterious contemporary read, you can give this one a try.

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crgrace's review

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challenging dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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