Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.51 AVERAGE
4.51 AVERAGE
This one took me by surprise, it is an incredibly haunting story of identity and societal commentary. It has the ick with older men preying on younger girls, how historically women were dismissed as mad or sick to better control them, and medical body horror and experimentation. This novel's portrayal of autism and being trans are so well done throughout. I appreciated the author's before and after notes, listing triggers and resources on the historical aspects of the novel.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
i can’t remember the last time i tore through a book this fast. it was so IMMERSIVE and sharp and propulsive and oh my god it was so good. the setting and pacing and character development absolutely bang. i loved loved loved the inclusions of the dead girls’ povs THIS WAS SO GOODDDD
everybody read this book right now but definitely check content warnings first
only reason it’s not a full 5☆ is i feel like it was lacking in discussions of race in intersecition with gender and violet-eyed-ness. could have been fuller and richer if there were more than just a few comments on events outside of england
everybody read this book right now but definitely check content warnings first
only reason it’s not a full 5☆ is i feel like it was lacking in discussions of race in intersecition with gender and violet-eyed-ness. could have been fuller and richer if there were more than just a few comments on events outside of england
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Torture, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abortion, Pregnancy
Moderate: Ableism, Sexual assault, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
I was expecting to like this as it includes all my faves, gender trouble, ghosts and a boarding school setting. very enjoyable though I felt some of the character arcs could have been improved. I would have liked to have seen more exploration on character motives. but overall this was a fascinating romp around victorian England.
challenging
dark
sad
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
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:
Complicated
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
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
Silas is a violet-eyed trans boy in a world where violet-eyed women are seen as a commodity. Violet-eyed people have access to a spirit realm that others don’t. Men want to marry violet-eyed women to pass the trait down to their sons. Despite this being seen as a positive trait in men, it’s seen as a negative and almost tragic trait in women. Women are told not to use their gifts lest they fall victim to something called the veil sickness. The veil sickness is something akin to the historical real-world diagnosis of female hysteria. The veil sickness supposedly only occurs in violet-eyed women and is used as a means of controlling them. Silas is diagnosed with the veil sickness and sent to an asylum to “recover” from it so that he can be married off to a wealthy man. I loved this book. It gave me chills. I recommend it if you enjoyed My Darling Dreadful Thing by Johanna van Veen. It has a dark sort of tragic aesthetic. The events feel realistic and the characters are well-developed. I was rooting for them every second of this book. This book does cover some heavy topics and may be too heavy for some. I’d recommend minding the trigger warnings and might only recommend this book to the upper age demographic of the young adult genre.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexual assault, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Murder, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Deadnaming, Eating disorder
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
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes