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gummifrog's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
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
3.0
It was hard for me to come up with a rating for this book. There was a lot I liked about it - its spooky atmosphere, well drawn characters, and a strong idea of the black body being used, abused, and bought by white people.
However, there were so many things left unsaid and so much that was weirdly unresolved. There were many plot lines that fell flat to me. The poor protagonist, Magnolia, goes through so, so much pain and suffering. This is not a happy story, although it has a hopeful ending.
I thought it would lean a bit more into a horror/thriller aspect, but it was more thoughtful than unsettling in the end.
However, there were so many things left unsaid and so much that was weirdly unresolved. There were many plot lines that fell flat to me. The poor protagonist, Magnolia, goes through so, so much pain and suffering. This is not a happy story, although it has a hopeful ending.
I thought it would lean a bit more into a horror/thriller aspect, but it was more thoughtful than unsettling in the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion, Sexual violence, Racism, Pedophilia, and Rape
Moderate: Pregnancy, Vomit, and Alcoholism
Minor: Terminal illness and Trafficking
ecn's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
The technical writing was really beautiful and great overall. However, the story itself was majorly lacking. I will say, this is definitely not a book for me since I cannot stand unlikeable characters, but there wasn’t a single thing to grab onto to enjoy the story.
The concept was intriguing but the shitty characters, bad sex, stupid decisions, and rushed ending take away from every good aspect. It felt like, between the last major event the and the final 3 chapters, there was a HUGE missing chapter. I needed something to bridge that gap bc I genuinely do not think it was properly finished and I could not tell you *at all* how this story actually ended or what happened? Maybe if I were to physically read the book (I listened to the audio) it would have made more sense but I highly doubt it. It was just really lackluster :/
Also wtf was going on with the grandmother and her absolute NEED for the MC to see/talk with her aborted fetus??? I cannot tell if this is supposed to be pro-life or not and I have no idea why ANY aspect of that storyline needed to be included? Unless I missed something huge but???? .
The concept was intriguing but the shitty characters, bad sex, stupid decisions, and rushed ending take away from every good aspect. It felt like, between the last major event the and the final 3 chapters, there was a HUGE missing chapter. I needed something to bridge that gap bc I genuinely do not think it was properly finished and I could not tell you *at all* how this story actually ended or what happened? Maybe if I were to physically read the book (I listened to the audio) it would have made more sense but I highly doubt it. It was just really lackluster :/
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Alcoholism, Classism, Medical content, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Alcohol, Medical trauma, Rape, Trafficking, Violence, Ableism, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Toxic relationship, Body horror, Pregnancy, Addiction, and Abortion
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