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anniereads221's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, and Fatphobia
booksthatburn's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
Cora can't stop hearing the Drowned Gods and wants to escape their oil-slick rainbows on her skin. She transfers to Whitethorn Academy in the hopes that it'll be better to forget, but it turns out conversion therapy for kids returned from portals doesn't work any better than the other kind.
Cora is a mermaid even if her scales aren't on the outside right now, but because of some previous events she's currently a mermaid who is having trouble being in the water. The stress of this drives her to think that being severed from both the Drowned Gods and from her Trenches-derived mermaid nature altogether might be better than having both and being haunted by nightmares. She's fat and comfortable in her own skin, the descriptions of fatphobia in the narrative are about how other people are seeing her and assuming things, and she's rejecting those assertions. Fatphobia is just one facet of the food control at Whitethorn, but it's the one she feels most keenly.
Cora doesn’t get to know the other girls very well and that feels purposeful in the narrative. No one at the school is there to bond, they’re there to forget and break in a way that fits the Academy’s version of the world. This gradually changes, especially once a new student appears and they both run into Regan (the protagonist of ACROSS THE GREEN GRASS FIELDS).
The world of Whitethorn Academy is at least partly modeled after “conversion therapy”, which is a euphemist term for the practice of emotionally and physically torturing people (usually children) until they stop exhibiting some “undesirable” behavior (specifically that of being queer). At Whitethorn, the undesirable behavior is anything having to do with the doors. There are a lot of little subtle things that I appreciate about this manner of worldbuilding, but due to what it’s copying a detailed description would likely be very triggering. The big one I will comment on is that Cora notices that almost all the faculty were former Whitethorn students, because the way in which the school breaks them makes them detached from their doors but also ill-suited for the normal world outside. There’s a lot of little things like that which make for a chilling read, forming a complete vision of a place which takes pleasure in breaking children, but told in a way that makes it clear at every moment that this is a horrible thing.
This continues Cora’s story from her appearances in previous books, as well as showing Regan who was introduced in ACROSS THE GREEN GRASS FIELDS. There's a new storyline which revolves around the continuing effects on Cora from her time spent with the Drowned Gods, and her attempt to break their hold by going to Whitethorn. A big thing is introduced and resolved, but this was just the introduction for Whitethorn Academy and I’m sure we’ll get more in the future. It set up a lot of fascinating things about that school and the contrast between their mission and Eleanor’s. Cora is a new narrator in the series and her voice is distinct from the previous ones. This book is a turning point in the series and might be a bit much for someone to try and start here. It relies in a basic understanding of the doors and why someone might want to either return or forget, so it’s definitely better to start with the first book instead. The ending is well done, with a bittersweet mix of triumph and terror. I'm very excited for whatever's next, this introduced several new characters and I'd love to see their doors.
Cora is a mermaid even if her scales aren't on the outside right now, but because of some previous events she's currently a mermaid who is having trouble being in the water. The stress of this drives her to think that being severed from both the Drowned Gods and from her Trenches-derived mermaid nature altogether might be better than having both and being haunted by nightmares. She's fat and comfortable in her own skin, the descriptions of fatphobia in the narrative are about how other people are seeing her and assuming things, and she's rejecting those assertions. Fatphobia is just one facet of the food control at Whitethorn, but it's the one she feels most keenly.
Cora doesn’t get to know the other girls very well and that feels purposeful in the narrative. No one at the school is there to bond, they’re there to forget and break in a way that fits the Academy’s version of the world. This gradually changes, especially once a new student appears and they both run into Regan (the protagonist of ACROSS THE GREEN GRASS FIELDS).
The world of Whitethorn Academy is at least partly modeled after “conversion therapy”, which is a euphemist term for the practice of emotionally and physically torturing people (usually children) until they stop exhibiting some “undesirable” behavior (specifically that of being queer). At Whitethorn, the undesirable behavior is anything having to do with the doors. There are a lot of little subtle things that I appreciate about this manner of worldbuilding, but due to what it’s copying a detailed description would likely be very triggering. The big one I will comment on is that Cora notices that almost all the faculty were former Whitethorn students, because the way in which the school breaks them makes them detached from their doors but also ill-suited for the normal world outside. There’s a lot of little things like that which make for a chilling read, forming a complete vision of a place which takes pleasure in breaking children, but told in a way that makes it clear at every moment that this is a horrible thing.
This continues Cora’s story from her appearances in previous books, as well as showing Regan who was introduced in ACROSS THE GREEN GRASS FIELDS. There's a new storyline which revolves around the continuing effects on Cora from her time spent with the Drowned Gods, and her attempt to break their hold by going to Whitethorn. A big thing is introduced and resolved, but this was just the introduction for Whitethorn Academy and I’m sure we’ll get more in the future. It set up a lot of fascinating things about that school and the contrast between their mission and Eleanor’s. Cora is a new narrator in the series and her voice is distinct from the previous ones. This book is a turning point in the series and might be a bit much for someone to try and start here. It relies in a basic understanding of the doors and why someone might want to either return or forget, so it’s definitely better to start with the first book instead. The ending is well done, with a bittersweet mix of triumph and terror. I'm very excited for whatever's next, this introduced several new characters and I'd love to see their doors.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Fatphobia, and Bullying
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, and Confinement
Minor: Eating disorder, Blood, Violence, and Suicide attempt
TW for strong similarities to conversion therapy.kadtide's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, and Fatphobia
Moderate: Confinement and Gaslighting
Minor: Forced institutionalization, Self harm, Body horror, and Eating disorder
anni_swanilda's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Gaslighting, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Confinement, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Child abuse, Suicide, and Bullying
Minor: Animal death, Death of parent, Child death, and Domestic abuse
imstephtacular's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- 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
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia, Emotional abuse, and Bullying
Minor: Forced institutionalization, Murder, Death, Eating disorder, Suicide attempt, and Grief
elizabethgreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- 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
2.5
2.5 Stars. I really enjoyed the adventure and the new characters. I enjoyed exploring a new school with a different teaching philosophy. The school kind of gave me the vibes of the schools for trouble teens which often run unethically and have little to no government or external board oversight. I enjoyed the fat shaming talk but also had an issues with the unrealistic delivery of the message. If you are at weight that is not healthy for your body and increases your risk of other disease there is no way you could eat a healthy diet and be super active and not lose some weight unless there are other medical problems causing the weight gain. This is very different from someone who has a natural broader body type. I found the pacing to be pretty good and I didn't want to stop listening to the book however as with other works in this series I felt like the climax and ending were a bit rushed.
The biggest issue I have is with the narrator justing that you can die and come back to life other than having an after life. Also I felt that suicide was suggested as a possible solution for getting to move on to a life which is better suited for you which I find appalling and dangerous especially for the targeted audience of this book.
The biggest issue I have is with the narrator justing that you can die and come back to life other than having an after life. Also I felt that suicide was suggested as a possible solution for getting to move on to a life which is better suited for you which I find appalling and dangerous especially for the targeted audience of this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
Minor: Suicide attempt and Child abuse
aquavenatus's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Forced institutionalization, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Self harm
heytherekaity's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
My favorite one so far!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Grief, and Mental illness
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