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vee_the_tree's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Blood, Body shaming, and Death
Minor: Terminal illness, Dementia, Eating disorder, Animal death, Grief, Cancer, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Suicidal thoughts
charmgirl3's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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
4.0
If you liked Ladybird, you’ll like this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body shaming, Death, and Eating disorder
Moderate: Infidelity, Murder, Grief, Dementia, Rape, and Self harm
The trigger warnings listed are generalizations— in which the themes are very loose in their depictions and most are not graphic (aside from the death ones). I listed them just to be safe, because although I wasn’t triggered, I can see how others might be.lovesit1892's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I give this two stars for the unique perspective and modern angle that this author uses to approach the vampire trope, but it did not do much for me. I love vampires and I was excited to read a more contemporary vampire storyline with Asian/POC characters, but nothing interesting seems to happen throughout this entire book. The ending is expected and even the character's expected upheaval is uneventful when it happens. The writing lacks any description that would make it lush and detailed, it's just blunt, short sentences, "I did this. This happened."
The uniqueness of the storyline itself had promise, but the writing makes the characters and their happenings flat and uninteresting.
The uniqueness of the storyline itself had promise, but the writing makes the characters and their happenings flat and uninteresting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Dementia
Moderate: Classism, Dementia, Body shaming, Pregnancy, Child death, Racial slurs, Cancer, Child abuse, Animal death, Colonisation, Sexual harassment, Self harm, and Sexual assault
readerette's review against another edition
dark
reflective
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
3.5
I deeply enjoyed the first half of the book, and then it just started to get unfocused, with these long interludes of thinking about food.
I appreciated the exploration of the minutiae of human life with this vampire in the role of "average young woman" (meaning she could never be average, and yet would always look it to the casual observer). It is delightfully tongue in cheek that Lyd is a starving artist. I enjoyed a fresh take on vampires as well.
However, at some point her obsession with food stopped being an interesting examination of the human (or female) relationship to food, and just a sign of her lack of responsibility and creativity. Given that food was the major focus of the main character's life, the fact that her thoughts about it ended up so repetitive and unproductive just created a sense of plodding.
The painting was far too obvious an allegory for her self-perception.
I'm also still trying to decipher the last few scenes, not because they were intellectually challenging, but because I want them to mean something and I'm not sure they mean much of anything.
It's a decent book, just not the literary treat I was hoping for.
I appreciated the exploration of the minutiae of human life with this vampire in the role of "average young woman" (meaning she could never be average, and yet would always look it to the casual observer). It is delightfully tongue in cheek that Lyd is a starving artist. I enjoyed a fresh take on vampires as well.
However, at some point her obsession with food stopped being an interesting examination of the human (or female) relationship to food, and just a sign of her lack of responsibility and creativity. Given that food was the major focus of the main character's life, the fact that her thoughts about it ended up so repetitive and unproductive just created a sense of plodding.
The painting was far too obvious an allegory for her self-perception.
I'm also still trying to decipher the last few scenes, not because they were intellectually challenging, but because I want them to mean something and I'm not sure they mean much of anything.
It's a decent book, just not the literary treat I was hoping for.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, and Blood
Minor: Body shaming and Sexual content
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