Scan barcode
emily_mh's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This rating is pretty much based on my enjoyment because the plot was a let down. But before we get into that I'll talk about what I did like! This read was atmospheric and spooky. It had good pacing, and the main character, Mila, was a great narrator. And like I said, I really enjoyed reading it!
HOWEVER, the plot turned out to be quite underwhelming. For a mystery/thriller, it was very linear and if you're familiar with the genre I feel like the culprit is an easy guess. Some other things I didn't like was that apart from Mila, the characters felt a little flat, and I didn't like the whole bully-redemption arc. June and Dayton were literally racist and fatphobic towards Mila while they were living and within a week everyone was buddy-buddy? Not a big fan of that.
All that being said I did like this book, and loved where Mila ended up by the end of it. I would be super interested in reading more books about her life!
HOWEVER, the plot turned out to be quite underwhelming. For a mystery/thriller, it was very linear and if you're familiar with the genre I feel like the culprit is an easy guess. Some other things I didn't like was that apart from Mila, the characters felt a little flat, and I didn't like the whole bully-redemption arc. June and Dayton were literally racist and fatphobic towards Mila while they were living and within a week everyone was buddy-buddy? Not a big fan of that.
All that being said I did like this book, and loved where Mila ended up by the end of it. I would be super interested in reading more books about her life!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Child death, Murder, Suicide, Gore, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Blood, and Body horror
Moderate: Grief, Cursing, Fatphobia, Religious bigotry, Animal death, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Misogyny, Sexism, Physical abuse, Bullying, Cursing, Body shaming, Excrement, Racism, Ableism, Mental illness, Child abuse, Drug use, Cultural appropriation, Sexual content, Addiction, Drug abuse, Alcohol, Rape, Slavery, Gaslighting, Pedophilia, Confinement, Colonisation, Gun violence, and Infidelity
More...