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the_vegan_bookworm's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
A really solid horror story about gender, patriarchal roles and gender-based violence in intimate relationships. The ending felt a little bit underwhelming at parts, but I think the overall story felt well developed and emotionally compelling.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, Stalking, Suicide attempt, and Murder
Minor: Child abuse and Infidelity
megwilli's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Blood and Murder
sausome's review
dark
medium-paced
1.5
1.5/5 stars - Ugh, idk if I hated this book, or if it all just made me so angry that reading it was an awful experience, or if all the characters were awful, or the fact that there are GRAPHIC and BRUTAL rape scenes in multiples. I ended up swiping past the pages of Emily Engle's POV b/c they were so graphic and horrible. There is also no resolution in this book, so if you need that to feel okay about horrible stories, this is a pass for you!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
poereads's review
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Ugh. Too much horror and not enough thriller. This felt like it moved way too slow. There were 2 murderers at the 30% mark but I was so bored. The plot didn’t seem to progress too much until the last 30%. There were so many loose ends never explained. This also just felt too exploratory about violence towards women? The whole plot hinged on women being raped.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape
Minor: Vomit
alexisgarcia's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
the more i think about this book, the more mad i get. the only good character in this was ingrid (except for what she did to the young kid (i forgot his name and already returned this to the library)).
the large amount of detailed descriptions of rape were completely unnecessary imo. same thing with the random animal cruelty which was never explained so many crazy things happened with exactly 0 explanations who killed all of the artists, who killed the animals and why, how the nails play into this, how the glass appeared in the clay, etc. i could go on and on . it left me wondering what the point of including it even was.
also don’t get me started on the ending. it was so out of left field and unsatisfying. it felt like she couldn’t figure out a way to wrap up all of the different plot points so she decided to go with something that had nothing to do with the entire book.
i really really liked bloom so this felt like such a letdown.
the large amount of detailed descriptions of
also don’t get me started on the ending. it was so out of left field and unsatisfying. it felt like she couldn’t figure out a way to wrap up all of the different plot points so she decided to go with something that had nothing to do with the entire book.
i really really liked bloom so this felt like such a letdown.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
le_mur's review against another edition
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Emotional abuse
anabookadventures's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I was really loving this at the beginning; the atmosphere and setting are top notch! But the S.A. content was a bit much for me, and that ending was absolutely trash for all this story was leading up to, so much more / better could have been done to wrap this up. I appreciate the themes, just think the execution could have been better.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Cursing, and Gore
minimicropup's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I liked most of this, even when I was angry at certain characters. It was engaging, thought-provoking, weird, and atmospheric. But the end felt incomplete or tacked on.
Energy: Hostile. Evasive. Cautious.
🐕 Howls Sudden switch from slow-burn weird horror to popcorn thriller (convenient rush of villains, chaotic bursts of violence). The story introduced a lot of mysterious sub-plots and angles, then lost or cut them off abruptly at the end (I have so many unanswered questions). Reiterating the commentary on misogyny and narcissism instead of progressing the story.
🐩 Tail Wags The art installation descriptions and insights into the art-making process. The slow, steady pace allowed for gradual character development.Showing how women have historically been labeled irrational, spoiled, or mentally unstable for expressing simple boundaries. How it didn’t shy away from exposing how some women are complicit in perpetuating those injustices. Balanced view of abuse and sociopathy transcending gender. Unsettling ending. The justice moments (the plot made me mad, but not in a frustrating way).
Scene: 🇺🇸 Set in Tranquil Falls Artists’ Retreat in Georgia, USA.
Perspective: A potter who hasn’t made art in the last five years while in a toxic relationship finally gets out and is accepted to an artist’s retreat. While there strange things start happening, including dreams where they are a guest at the abandoned resort on site.
Timeline: Current (2020s). 🍂 Beginning of fall.
🔥 Fuel: Cliffhangers. Group dynamics. Atmosphere. Why are the artists suddenly acting strangely? What really happened between the retreat leaders and an especially misogynist artist? What’s with the second floor of the cabin our MC is staying in? Why was the resort hotel suddenly abandoned?
📖 Cred: Suspended disbelief with a touch of paranormal
Mood Reading Match-Up:
Oak must. Yeast cinnamon and apple. Distant roar of a waterfall. Lavender potpourri. Stained glass windchimes. Mildew. Rot. Cold stone. Antiseptic.
- Glimpse of 1800s pseudoscience health resort
- Books to read in the forest, fall vibes
- Escaping a toxic relationship, starting anew romantic energy
- Cast of eccentric artists
- Exploring secret areas off-limits
- How did they die? Mysteries
- Visions, nightmares, out of body experiences
- Third person whispering context to us as we watch scenes unfold, getting to know everyone alongside the main character
- Chaos and strangeness
- Irony and ghostly revenge
Content Heads-Up: Alcohol abuse, alcoholic parent. Narcissistic parent, no contact. Animal death (brief on page; possum, snake, rabbits). Vomit. Corpse/skeleton (discovery of). Toxic, narcissistic colleagues. Bullying (vandalism, theft, threats). Confinement (implied, evidence of and on page). Misogyny. Ageism (towards younger gen). Sexual assault, rape (within relationship; descriptive recall on page). Medical (injuries, heart attack, bleeding). Drugging. Forced institutionalization (medical asylum). Personality disorders, psychopathy.
Rep: American. Cis. Hetero. Dark brown, pale, and ambiguous skin tones.
📚 Format: Library Hardcover
My musings 💖 powered by puppy snuggles 🐶
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Animal death and Toxic relationship
Minor: Alcoholism, Vomit, Medical content, and Alcohol
lv_'s review
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book kept me turning the page but I was ultimately pretty disappointed with the ending. No follow through on what became of other characters and I think Kyle appearing right at the end was just…unnecessary . I think the premise was good and I still enjoyed it but it came up lacking.
Another thing, there were a lot of words in the book used that felt like the author just pulled them out of a thesaurus. Took me out of the story every time.
Another thing, there were a lot of words in the book used that felt like the author just pulled them out of a thesaurus. Took me out of the story every time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Murder, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Drug use, Rape, Self harm, and Stalking
12rhys23's review against another edition
Very frustrating. The writing is great, the plot would be interesting, but its so slow and boring. Whatever tension there was has been replaced by graphic depictions of rape.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape