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alainral's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Pregnancy, Infidelity, and Abandonment
vigil's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.5
if you entered this book for the sea creature element, and you enjoyed the commentary on trauma, and all the other shit that fucked up baby started spouting towards the end, read the deep by rivers solomon, which a better take on the subjects by a mile.
this book tried to posit itself and its character work as something it wasn’t, and this is at it’s clearest in the ending, that is meant to be a kind of reclamation of oneself and autonomy, but to the reader, evidently less concerned with symbolism than the author, it comes across as a new kind of chain. really, the prose is lovely, and the atmosphere is strong, rocklyn conveys very visceral horror and emotions through the protagonist’s experience, but there’s really nothing in this book that justifies reading it.
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Gore, Blood, Body horror, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Pregnancy, Cursing, Grief, Infidelity, Murder, Toxic relationship, and Violence
bluebrooks's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
(if u like this u will probably also enjoy here, the world entire !!)
Graphic: Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Excrement, Body horror, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Slavery, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Physical abuse, Infidelity, Grief, Abandonment, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Blood, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Abortion and Suicidal thoughts
rosesofthespring's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
Graphic: Body horror, Hate crime, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Blood, Classism, Cursing, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Medical content, Murder, Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, Fire/Fire injury, Vomit, and Death of parent
Moderate: Child abuse, Infertility, Child death, Miscarriage, and Sexual content
Minor: Alcohol, Miscarriage, and Abortion
This story largely revolves around a pregnancy and traumatic birth. The main character is a member of a persecuted racial and religious minority, who faces bigotry throughout.cheye13's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
Graphic: Violence, Child death, Blood, Body horror, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, and Sexual content
Moderate: Confinement, Infidelity, Medical content, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Infertility, Miscarriage, and Excrement
An unwanted pregnancy carried through to birth is the majority of the narrativetalonsontypewriters's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Body horror, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Medical content, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Vomit, and Confinement
Minor: Infidelity and Sexism
Unwanted/forced pregnancy; childbirth and post-natal care. Infant death/harm. Generational trauma; discrimination/persecution. Urination, various other bodily fluids, brief emetophobia. Animal attacks, including on children. Needles in the context of wound care.sarah984's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Pregnancy, and Sexual content
Moderate: Child death, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Vomit
Minor: Infidelity
lacee's review
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Medical content, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Racism, and Sexual content
Minor: Miscarriage, Infertility, Infidelity, Death, and Death of parent
madarauchiha's review
- 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
4.25
The writing was gorgeous and so tightly edited. I did think the pacing was a lil off, and I'm hoping it will get expanded on or continued as a series. Not as a sequential story, but more of this universe. There's scenes sprinkled in that hints of a greater world beyond what was lost by the MC. At times it does get frustrating and not in a good way. It feels like staring into the dark, only able to see when you look slightly to the side of whatever is faintly glowing. Of course, I do understand that a lot of this is metaphors and allegories, and that a more concrete world built would erode what has been said in this novella.
I extremely love that there is eldritch horror but it's not that godawful lovecraft shit. There's some body horror too.
There's a lot of pregnancy and childbirth, so those uncomfortable with the topic should probably avoid it. It wasn't graphically gorey, but it was explicit what was happening, and it was very visceral.
The ending was pretty abrupt. I felt like the MC came to terms with her issues rather quickly, and that something felt missing.
I would absolutely recommend this book to black readers and readers of color who enjoy horror, eldritch horror, and sea based, merfolk horror. If I had to compare it to another author's prose or books, I'd say Benjanun Sriduangkaew.
content warnings
minor suicide ideation, sexism, abortion, sexual content, menstruation, death, blood,
medium infidelity, torture, sexual harassment, unsanitary, injuries, fire injuries, xenophobia,
major body horror, arson, demolition, childbirth, sexual content, unreality, child death, medical content, pregnancy,
Graphic: Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, Child death, Medical content, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Infidelity, Torture, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, and Xenophobia
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Sexism, Sexual content, Death, and Blood