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3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The first third or so of the book does a lot of telling in a style that reads like unedited dreamlike poetry. The all-over-the-place pacing continues throughout, but I'm glad I decided to give it until the supernatural elements kick in, because that's where it gets interesting. The purple prose of the beginning grows into some solid narration, and learns to not completely fix, but balance, the elegant flowery language with telling the damn story in a way that is at least intelligible.
The lore and history of the house (and its inhabitants) is expertly crafted; the family drama is the perfect level of intertwined and convoluted. The author does a great job with the rate of reveal, it feels exactly like growing up and slowly learning more stories, and more details about stories you already know. The chapters from the house's point of view are pleasant to read in a creeping way. I'm sure this author's poetry is excellent. The descriptions of being separated from your family's native tongue are so real; they show an understanding of how important language is and how some things can never be completely translated that adds depth to all the dialogue.
Sometimes it gets cluttered, but I do enjoy all the different illustrations of colonization as parasitism and parasitism as colonization, house as home and body, and the past as something that can still take from you. I feel like this book would pair well with Parasite (2019) and "Pretty Little Head" by Eliza Rickman. These themes are all so interesting, so I found myself wondering why I was bored. I didn't really care about any of the characters. I'm not sure why I kept reading; the payoff was... fine. This book could have been so cool with just a little bit more help.
One thing I liked was the level of attention to the romance subplot. It's artfully understated and that makes it feel real, especially with a character that is too busy and doesn't particularly want to think about her queerness right at this moment.
The lore and history of the house (and its inhabitants) is expertly crafted; the family drama is the perfect level of intertwined and convoluted. The author does a great job with the rate of reveal, it feels exactly like growing up and slowly learning more stories, and more details about stories you already know. The chapters from the house's point of view are pleasant to read in a creeping way. I'm sure this author's poetry is excellent. The descriptions of being separated from your family's native tongue are so real; they show an understanding of how important language is and how some things can never be completely translated that adds depth to all the dialogue.
Sometimes it gets cluttered, but I do enjoy all the different illustrations of colonization as parasitism and parasitism as colonization, house as home and body, and the past as something that can still take from you. I feel like this book would pair well with Parasite (2019) and "Pretty Little Head" by Eliza Rickman. These themes are all so interesting, so I found myself wondering why I was bored. I didn't really care about any of the characters. I'm not sure why I kept reading; the payoff was... fine. This book could have been so cool with just a little bit more help.
One thing I liked was the level of attention to the romance subplot. It's artfully understated and that makes it feel real, especially with a character that is too busy and doesn't particularly want to think about her queerness right at this moment.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Racism, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, Physical abuse, Vomit, Alcohol
This should have been a recipe for success: first generation Vietnamese American, first born daughter, bisexual, recovering from a devastating friend breakup, creepy haunted colonizer house, messy family dynamics…
Instead I feel like we kind of got lost in the details. Certain plot elements were clumped together and spaced apart by long stretches of not much going on. Jade’s mood or situation would flip on a dime because not enough time was given to her thought process - or we’d spend pages and pages mired in her indecision.
The real winner here is, as usual, the creepy house. But unfortunately, it didn’t loom large once ghosts started making an appearance.
Instead I feel like we kind of got lost in the details. Certain plot elements were clumped together and spaced apart by long stretches of not much going on. Jade’s mood or situation would flip on a dime because not enough time was given to her thought process - or we’d spend pages and pages mired in her indecision.
The real winner here is, as usual, the creepy house. But unfortunately, it didn’t loom large once ghosts started making an appearance.
challenging
dark
emotional
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
emotional
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Racism, Violence, Colonisation
Lame reason: it's overdue already at the library and I really need to just return it so I don't have to pay three million dollars in fees
Less lame reason: lowkey just also struggling with the horror aspects of this book, particularly around food and eating, not having a great time, feeling a little triggered -- and I always always always want to prioritize my own safety over meeting a goal or finishing a book, so I'm happy to use one of my allotted DNFs for the year on this book 👍
Less lame reason: lowkey just also struggling with the horror aspects of this book, particularly around food and eating, not having a great time, feeling a little triggered -- and I always always always want to prioritize my own safety over meeting a goal or finishing a book, so I'm happy to use one of my allotted DNFs for the year on this book 👍
dark
emotional
slow-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, Homophobia, Racism
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
dark
emotional
reflective
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
dark
emotional
sad
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:
Yes
I could not get into it, no matter how much I tried.