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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
dark
reflective
sad
tense
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:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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:
Yes
4.5 ⭐
An emotional, dark and unique story of survival, crossing a number of genres and including racial and sexual oppression, LGBTQIA+, literary fiction, family drama, fantasy and science fiction.
Being brought up in a strict religious cult, Vern is desperate to escape for her own sake and the sake of her unborn children. With nowhere to go, Vern fends for herself and her children in the forest, constantly fearful that the cult will come looking for her.
With her health rapidly deteriorating, Vern is forced to seek help in the outside world, but in the process she comes face to face with the horrific extent of the cult's secrets and abuse.
An emotional, dark and unique story of survival, crossing a number of genres and including racial and sexual oppression, LGBTQIA+, literary fiction, family drama, fantasy and science fiction.
Being brought up in a strict religious cult, Vern is desperate to escape for her own sake and the sake of her unborn children. With nowhere to go, Vern fends for herself and her children in the forest, constantly fearful that the cult will come looking for her.
With her health rapidly deteriorating, Vern is forced to seek help in the outside world, but in the process she comes face to face with the horrific extent of the cult's secrets and abuse.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
Fantastic blend of thriller, Appalachian (I think) horror, gender fluidity, science fiction, and social commentary. Watching Vern escape her cult felt like being a very nervous fly on the wall, always wondering what hurdle she’ll have to overcome and what jumpscare is awaiting her. I think this plot was so well thought through and kept me so eager to find out more
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Contains Spoilers *EDIT AT THE END*
First off, I really want to give this book 3.5 stars, but that isn't an option & the only reason I am rounding down is because I didn't enjoy something that happened in the end.
Now, I am usually one to accept a story for what it is but at the end of the story when Vern revived everybody it is kind of bugging me.
For one, it made the book feel like there was never any real danger there. You could argue that Vern didn't know she had that ability to begin with but it just lessened the impact of the final events at Cainland.
Not to mention, there was no real payoff for that. Again, I'm usually able to ignore things like this in favor of a great story but something kept me from that.
Maybe it was the sudden climactic burst that smoldered in what felt like an instant "undo" button that only really resulted in the main character brushing it off...
All in all, I enjoyed this book from beginning to (almost) the very end. I would definitely recommend to a friend, and I certainly enjoyed the ride.
This story felt like an oddysey in the way Vern traveled through so many different settings, finding her place, placing her trust, and learning herself. It was truly an exploration of motherhood, sexuality, self-acceptance, corruption, and more. This book really did have it all, and made sense of it. The characters were all relatable in their humanity, and Solomon's writing & cadence is awesome.
Definitely worth the read, and I hope my three stars doesn't detract from somebody else's enjoyment of this book.
I'm rounding up to four stars based on the way I rate all the books I read.
1=Hated, Idk how someone could like it
2=Disliked, but can see why others might enjoy
3=Indifferent, wasn't bad or good
4=Liked it, would recommend to a friend
5=Loved it, I'd read again just for the enjoyment
I liked this book. It took on so much, and it has stuck with me. Staying power is important in a story, and this has that.
First off, I really want to give this book 3.5 stars, but that isn't an option & the only reason I am rounding down is because I didn't enjoy something that happened in the end.
Now, I am usually one to accept a story for what it is but at the end of the story when Vern revived everybody it is kind of bugging me.
For one, it made the book feel like there was never any real danger there. You could argue that Vern didn't know she had that ability to begin with but it just lessened the impact of the final events at Cainland.
Not to mention, there was no real payoff for that. Again, I'm usually able to ignore things like this in favor of a great story but something kept me from that.
Maybe it was the sudden climactic burst that smoldered in what felt like an instant "undo" button that only really resulted in the main character brushing it off...
All in all, I enjoyed this book from beginning to (almost) the very end. I would definitely recommend to a friend, and I certainly enjoyed the ride.
This story felt like an oddysey in the way Vern traveled through so many different settings, finding her place, placing her trust, and learning herself. It was truly an exploration of motherhood, sexuality, self-acceptance, corruption, and more. This book really did have it all, and made sense of it. The characters were all relatable in their humanity, and Solomon's writing & cadence is awesome.
Definitely worth the read, and I hope my three stars doesn't detract from somebody else's enjoyment of this book.
I'm rounding up to four stars based on the way I rate all the books I read.
1=Hated, Idk how someone could like it
2=Disliked, but can see why others might enjoy
3=Indifferent, wasn't bad or good
4=Liked it, would recommend to a friend
5=Loved it, I'd read again just for the enjoyment
I liked this book. It took on so much, and it has stuck with me. Staying power is important in a story, and this has that.