Reviews with content warning for Suicide - The Binding

This starts off very slow and unsure—there are a lot of unanswered questions and mysteries. But, once we got some answers in book 2, the plot headed down a clear path.

It’s a really sweet against-all-odds love story by the end. However, I think that comes secondary to the moral dilemma of memory removal. It’s very Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind but shows how power over memory would be weaponized by the elite and demonized by the masses. It’s ultimately a beautiful take on what stories are at their core.

Content Warnings

spaceoctopi's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Content Warnings

archkyrology's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

"Am I more than you bargained for yet" -Fall Out Boy

In an attempt to play around with the memory wiping aspect to create a mystery, it just becomes confusing. The first half of the book is slow, relaxed, and curious enough to keep you reading. The second half was very fast and genuinely upsetting almost the entire time. I wish a lot of aspects had been done differently. Also a very cliffhanger ending for a book that doesn't have a sequel.

Content Warnings

hannahlou93's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This book took my by surprise. First I was drawn in by the stunning cover, the blurb caught my imagination. It had similarities to the “eternal sunshine of a spotless mind” film, is having your greatest regrets or painful memories removed something that is good for us as humans or are we destined to repeat the same actions without the pain as a reminder of them? So of course I bought the book… I always prefer a first person narrative and I enjoyed Emmet’s voice however I must say I found the first part of the book frustrating just due to the quantity of unknowns the character had (I must say that if I was to read the book again now having finished it, I think I’d have enjoyed this section a lot better). Yet, I still found my self liking Emmet, in fact I missed his voice when it changed. This book is bursting with dark truths of magic and yet it all feels kind of real. I’d definitely recommend it.

Content Warnings

juniperbranches's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I came *this* close to giving up on this one around page 70. I am so incredibly glad I pulled through.

In Emmet Farmer’s world, life on the family farm, life is filled with hard work and small joys. One day he falls sick and can no longer do farm work, and is claimed by the local Book Binder as her apprentice.

When a desperate young woman comes to them and begs to be rid of the memories of her fathers abuse, Emmet soon learns that books are used to bind and seal terrible memories away. A book binder takes away the painful memory, allowing the person to continue their lives unscathed. Unfortunately, the peace that the book binding process is supposed to bring is a process that is abused by powerful people to continue to perpetuate harm against their unknowing victims again and again.

This book spins a beautiful and touching queer romance while weaving in a storyline that reads like a Gothic conversion camp narrative. I also think this is the hands down best romance I’ve ever read in a novel. Emmet and Lucian are going to be with me for a long time

Content Warnings

uparrowhead's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book was definitely a challenging read for me, weaved in the huge emotional plot of the story. It does have a hopeful ending, but there is a lot of darkness and pain that you'd need to get through first. I found it rewarding, however, and a very interesting read that touches on a few issues that are faced both now and throughout history.

Many of the reviews I've read call the book slow-placed. With that, I have to agree. However, I think that the pacing of the book fits the content and story that it tells quite well. At certain points, however, like the climax of the story, I can understand how it was annoying and boring to read through, but I mostly didn't mind it.

Something that I have to appalude Bridget Collins for is her use of language and description. Many of the settings of the book were written out in a way that easily sucked me right into the novel, and the writing in the book was, overall, of high quality.

I really enjoyed the premise of the novel; the idea that you could take someone's memories and bind them into a book that they will forget forever. It gave way and allowed the book to explore darker concepts of society, and made the story much more engaging to read through.

I do believe that certain parts of the story weren't developed as much as they could have been,

with the death of Seredith, which seemed to stop effecting Emmett as soon as the book moved into Part Two and Three, and the ending which (although heartwarming) left some questions opened and unanswered in the story.

However, I liked how the majority of the plot played out and, despite times where I wanted to throw this book across the room (which I didn't do, courtesy to it's beautiful cover), I was left satisfied and happy in the long-term of the book.

WARNING : The book does change its POVs throughout Part One, Two, and Three of the story. I personally liked how it was executed, but I know it is not for everyone, and a lot of reviews I've read on here say that it was done poorly and left readers confused.

Content Warnings

More...