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tacochelle's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I liked the concept, the setting is well-developed, the handcrafted monsters were a nice touch. And after thinking on it, I kinda like the twist reveal at the end. But the pacing at the start was really slow. It starts with the little sister disappearing, and a frantic search over the next couple of days for her, but this is cut up between flashbacks to their old home, the relationship between the sisters. The info is necessary, but the way is was fed to the reader was not great. Naming the chapters between both sisters, but only having the older sister's perspective was weird, I was expecting a dual narrative. I also didn't like any of the characters. The main girl was very cold towards her family, and while some of it can be explained with teenage angst, it felt too mean when they're in the middle of a crisis. The friends were flat, especially when the mc starts driving them away, they just become stereotypical mean kids. The little sister doesn't get much sympathy from me, either. As a weird outcast teen, I struggled to relate to this lonely girl when she comes off as selfish and manipulative from page one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Alcohol, Animal death, and Car accident
Minor: Homophobia
sarah984's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I was a little disappointed in this book because I loved The Dark Beneath the Ice so I had really high expectations. I thought Skye was a great character and some of the scares and conflict worked really well. However the sister Deirdre felt a bit like a caricature and the relationship between the sisters didn't feel strong enough considering what was going on. The story also dragged a bit in the middle, but the ending was great.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Car accident, Child death, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, and Violence
Minor: Ableism, Cursing, Homophobia, Medical content, Mental illness, Misogyny, and Stalking
penguininabluebox's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Car accident
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