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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
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
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
beesbookhaunts's review
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
We follow Sarah as she joins a remote artists’ retreat after leaving an abusive relationship. She discovers that the old mansion everyone is forbidden from entering has secrets of its own.
This book is A Lot. Each character has an extreme personality, verging into caricature territory. There’s a misogynistic man who expects Sarah to clean up after him, a goth girl who wears only black and takes morbid pictures, a costume designer who doesn’t wear modern clothing-and more. The descriptions of these characters provides levity as Sarah discovers the extremely dark past of the resort, and unpacks her own abusive relationship. These details are much darker and upsetting than the rest of the book, which made me appreciate the light-hearted sections.The contrast was sometimes quite jarring, and the first detailed description of sexual assault caught me off guard.
Overall I enjoyed it, but it felt long and sometimes repetitive. I’ve attached trigger warnings so please check them before picking this up!
Thanks to the publisher, I received a free copy in exchange for my honest review.
This book is A Lot. Each character has an extreme personality, verging into caricature territory. There’s a misogynistic man who expects Sarah to clean up after him, a goth girl who wears only black and takes morbid pictures, a costume designer who doesn’t wear modern clothing-and more. The descriptions of these characters provides levity as Sarah discovers the extremely dark past of the resort, and unpacks her own abusive relationship. These details are much darker and upsetting than the rest of the book, which made me appreciate the light-hearted sections.
Overall I enjoyed it, but it felt long and sometimes repetitive. I’ve attached trigger warnings so please check them before picking this up!
Thanks to the publisher, I received a free copy in exchange for my honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Misogyny, Medical content, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting
Minor: Gore
kimwritesstuff's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This book includes depictions of domestic violence, rape, spousal rape, and emotional abuse. I wouldn't normally include that at the beginning of my review, but those topics are central to the book's themes, and I understand some readers like to avoid those topics. I will say the abuse isn't gratuitous or male-gaze-y.
I really liked this book. The main reason it wasn't a 5-star read for me is that I felt like there were too many unknowns left. In gothic horror, it's common for there to be doubt, but there was so much plot left to interpretation that it just felt messy instead of interesting. I also thought the inclusion of Sarah having a negative relationship with her mom was unnecessary. It didn't further the plot and was such a blip in the story. I think it was included to make it easier for Kyle (the abusive ex) to isolate Sarah, but really it didn't add anything. The mom could have just been absent, and it would have served the same purpose. Honestly, it would have been more insidious if the mom had been supportive and dismissive of any concerns Sarah had with her boyfriend. In some cases, that would have been more realistic. The only other issue is the timeline; I had a hard time figuring out how old Sarah was and what her background was. At one point, I thought she had an undergrad art degree and had been in a master's program when she met Kyle, but then it mentions she was actually a junior in college. Maybe I misunderstood, but that part was wonky for me.
Sarah arrives at an artist residency program to escape her abusive ex and start over. The residency program is at Tranquil Falls, a defunct medical spa. While the old hotel and spa is off-limits, the artist residency program is on the grounds of the old facility. There are whimsical cabins and historic buildings; everything seems perfect until someone puts a dead bloated possum on Sarah's bed. From there, the story escalates as Sarah discovers the horrors of the so-called medical spa and her own past.
Part of why I liked this book is that it really outlines how far people are willing to go to turn the other cheek. Multiple characters are willing to aid or ignore the abuse that is going on around them. Not just men, but women are willing to ignore or outright aid in the emotional or physical abuse of others. There's also the disgusting nature of medical spas and asylums, which I could write whole novels on.
If you like gothic horror, I think you'll enjoy this book.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.
I really liked this book. The main reason it wasn't a 5-star read for me is that I felt like there were too many unknowns left. In gothic horror, it's common for there to be doubt, but there was so much plot left to interpretation that it just felt messy instead of interesting. I also thought the inclusion of Sarah having a negative relationship with her mom was unnecessary. It didn't further the plot and was such a blip in the story. I think it was included to make it easier for Kyle (the abusive ex) to isolate Sarah, but really it didn't add anything. The mom could have just been absent, and it would have served the same purpose. Honestly, it would have been more insidious if the mom had been supportive and dismissive of any concerns Sarah had with her boyfriend. In some cases, that would have been more realistic. The only other issue is the timeline; I had a hard time figuring out how old Sarah was and what her background was. At one point, I thought she had an undergrad art degree and had been in a master's program when she met Kyle, but then it mentions she was actually a junior in college. Maybe I misunderstood, but that part was wonky for me.
Sarah arrives at an artist residency program to escape her abusive ex and start over. The residency program is at Tranquil Falls, a defunct medical spa. While the old hotel and spa is off-limits, the artist residency program is on the grounds of the old facility. There are whimsical cabins and historic buildings; everything seems perfect until someone puts a dead bloated possum on Sarah's bed. From there, the story escalates as Sarah discovers the horrors of the so-called medical spa and her own past.
Part of why I liked this book is that it really outlines how far people are willing to go to turn the other cheek. Multiple characters are willing to aid or ignore the abuse that is going on around them. Not just men, but women are willing to ignore or outright aid in the emotional or physical abuse of others. There's also the disgusting nature of medical spas and asylums, which I could write whole novels on.
If you like gothic horror, I think you'll enjoy this book.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Child death, Miscarriage, and Abortion
jerichamacie's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
I really enjoyed the first half of the book, but the ending really soured it for me. It was such a slow burn then suddenly all the action is crammed into the last 20 pages. A lot of things never make sense or just didn't need to happen at all.
The eerie woodland gothic vibe was great, the main character was kind of insufferable and judgey.
The eerie woodland gothic vibe was great, the main character was kind of insufferable and judgey.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Miscarriage, and Abortion