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okevamae's review against another edition
4.0
Weird Fiction meets Flannery O’Connor or Shirley Jackson. Very strange, lyrical, and disturbing. I’ll admit, I probably should not have read it during the pandemic as it was emotionally heavy and if I’d read it in print or ebook I would likely have DNF’d, but since it was audio and pretty short I powered through.
rereader33's review against another edition
4.0
I am so damn happy I ended enjoying this book because I have been having the WORST luck with reading recently and I'm thrilled that I get to start off April (and my birth month) strong with this one.
I don't have a lot to say about this because getting into too much detail will spoil too much, but I'll say what I can. First and foremost, the writing was SO DAMN GOOD. It was so descriptive and sensory, I feel like I was always present wherever Ada was an experiencing what she experienced. The writing also made this story feel like a folktale or urban legend, especially with the townspeople occasionally putting in their two cents, which added to the reading experience. The setting worked so well with the story, the atmosphere was well-suited to the situation, and the writing just brought everything together. Also, the lore surrounding Ada, her father, and The Ground was interesting yet mysterious and I enjoyed learning more about it.
Now, all that being said, there was one problem that I had with this story, but I'm gonna have to be vague because it falls into spoiler territory, so I'll do my best to explain myself. The biggest issue I had was that Ada's actions are shown to be wrong and potentially harmful, yet they're also written in a way that makes the reader think she's in the right. I don't know if that makes sense, but as Ada tries to do her thing and do what she wants, her actions are written in painful, even disturbing detail, yet in conversations with her father and inner monologues the writing implies that what she's doing is right. I'm not necessarily against moral ambiguity and maybe this is just my impression, but it's kind of off-putting to have the writing show her actions as wrong but also push the reader to think she's right. I don't know, maybe this is just me, but it bothered me enough to drop the rating down a star.
Despite this problem, I did thoroughly enjoy reading this novel and will be looking forward to what Rainsford writes in the future. I highly recommend it and hope that others will give it a chance; it's definitely a strange story, but an interesting and well-written one as well.
I don't have a lot to say about this because getting into too much detail will spoil too much, but I'll say what I can. First and foremost, the writing was SO DAMN GOOD. It was so descriptive and sensory, I feel like I was always present wherever Ada was an experiencing what she experienced. The writing also made this story feel like a folktale or urban legend, especially with the townspeople occasionally putting in their two cents, which added to the reading experience. The setting worked so well with the story, the atmosphere was well-suited to the situation, and the writing just brought everything together. Also, the lore surrounding Ada, her father, and The Ground was interesting yet mysterious and I enjoyed learning more about it.
Now, all that being said, there was one problem that I had with this story, but I'm gonna have to be vague because it falls into spoiler territory, so I'll do my best to explain myself. The biggest issue I had was that Ada's actions are shown to be wrong and potentially harmful, yet they're also written in a way that makes the reader think she's in the right. I don't know if that makes sense, but as Ada tries to do her thing and do what she wants, her actions are written in painful, even disturbing detail, yet in conversations with her father and inner monologues the writing implies that what she's doing is right. I'm not necessarily against moral ambiguity and maybe this is just my impression, but it's kind of off-putting to have the writing show her actions as wrong but also push the reader to think she's right. I don't know, maybe this is just me, but it bothered me enough to drop the rating down a star.
Despite this problem, I did thoroughly enjoy reading this novel and will be looking forward to what Rainsford writes in the future. I highly recommend it and hope that others will give it a chance; it's definitely a strange story, but an interesting and well-written one as well.
denisemastenbrook's review against another edition
4.0
After the first few pages I wasn't sure I was going to like it enough to finish it...a few more pages in and I couldn't put it down.
janagaton's review against another edition
4.0
Honestly, despite how weird it is, and how much I dislike birthing scenes/pregnancy talk, this book is pretty freakin brilliant. It's a 200-page allegory about lust and obsession. It's about finally feeling control over your own actions. It's about an odd witch doctor father-daughter pair who heal townspeople they call "Cures." It's SUPER fast-paced, and you must pay attention to every page. I'm really glad I can add yet another "weird" book to my list!
isobel's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
ravenlynn15's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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
4.0
heppalotta's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25