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cphunter's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
If I had stopped after the first few chapters, it would have been a 5 star read. The writing is really engrossing and I can’t fault the author’s talent and creative work.
My expectations played into my reaction to this book though, as most other titles from 404 Ink I have read have been horror-skewed, so I was hoping for way more darkness. The opening scene combined with the title create an interesting point to which the plot could move. However, it doesn’t.
By the time I was about halfway through, I found myself feeling uncomfortable. There was so little character development of the narrator that it felt intensely personal; I may be way off the mark but I was left with a gut feeling that some people in the author’s life would feel real icky about this book!
The other disappointment was that the plot didn’t really go anywhere, by the time we were introduced to some character arcs, it was so close to the end that I don’t feel like they were explored: more of an upward curve than an arc!
It felt by the end that it was a series of sex scenes tied together with very loose threads - I would have preferred it to be a series of short stories centring on the different characters, linked by the sex they are all having. To me that would have been cleverer and more gripping.
My expectations played into my reaction to this book though, as most other titles from 404 Ink I have read have been horror-skewed, so I was hoping for way more darkness. The opening scene combined with the title create an interesting point to which the plot could move. However, it doesn’t.
By the time I was about halfway through, I found myself feeling uncomfortable. There was so little character development of the narrator that it felt intensely personal; I may be way off the mark but I was left with a gut feeling that some people in the author’s life would feel real icky about this book!
The other disappointment was that the plot didn’t really go anywhere, by the time we were introduced to some character arcs, it was so close to the end that I don’t feel like they were explored: more of an upward curve than an arc!
It felt by the end that it was a series of sex scenes tied together with very loose threads - I would have preferred it to be a series of short stories centring on the different characters, linked by the sex they are all having. To me that would have been cleverer and more gripping.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Violence, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Alcohol, Drug use, Sexual violence, and Physical abuse
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