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nefeli's review
This falls under the category of things that force me to question what it is to like something. Did I like this book? I very much disliked the experience of reading it because it's so full of hate; people that hate each other, people that hate themselves, a hateful house and a hateful England and a hateful world and you having to read their hateful thoughts and words over and over without any respite.
That being said, it's a powerful book, pasionate and terrifying in ways that a lot of haunted house stories are not, and I'm suspecting it will have me thinking about it for days, even though I can't honestly claim that I want to. What I want is to get rid of this queasy feeling that it left me with.
Content warnings for just about everything.
That being said, it's a powerful book, pasionate and terrifying in ways that a lot of haunted house stories are not, and I'm suspecting it will have me thinking about it for days, even though I can't honestly claim that I want to. What I want is to get rid of this queasy feeling that it left me with.
Content warnings for just about everything.
annaxr's review
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
wendelljames's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.5
girlpilotnixie's review
challenging
dark
reflective
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical trauma, Misogyny, Homophobia, Violence, Deadnaming, Racism, War, Hate crime, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Drug abuse, Antisemitism, Torture, Sexual harassment, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual violence, Rape, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, and Racial slurs
stfucatalina's review against another edition
the amount of hate speech was insane. this read very similarly like manhunt by gretchen felker-martin which was another book i didn’t like. just because there’s tons of hate speech and slurs thrown around doesn’t make it horror.
catmilkremedies's review against another edition
3.0
a novel that tries to blend a lot of online discourse with narrative. in a lot of ways its rough. the book doesn’t mince words and doesn’t pull punches. i found myself shocked jolted and disgusted many times. never did i feel like the tension was 100p there. i think i didn’t vibe 100 w the prose style itself most of the time—or i may have not felt rly generous as a reader [maybe i read too fast?]. transness is gloriously foregrounded and unapologetic which i loved. the fascism angle….. rly not sure if it worked all the way. many parts of the book feel like the synopsis or treatment for a book rather than the actual narrative. i think there’s something to be said for the postmodern move of exposing the construction of the book. im giving a long winded way of saying those aspects of the book felt forced. I think the best integration of was the 2 columns each depicting the different ways Alice and Ila experienced the red room: fascism imagines victimhood and dominance together despite the contradiction: “they are an unbeatable threat, but they are also weak vermin who will be crushed by our might”.
MIxed feelings overall. It’s good though! I think it’s well written for what it is tho a bit clunky.
MIxed feelings overall. It’s good though! I think it’s well written for what it is tho a bit clunky.
hal_banks's review
- 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
5.0
tashalostinbooks's review against another edition
challenging
dark
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
3.0
ghoul_at_home's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
One of the best books Ive read all year