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cukrkandl's review against another edition
2.0
Oh God, this was SO disappointing. This book sounded absolutely amazing--the exploration of gender and transphobia in a matriarchal witch society in modern England? Imagine my surprise when there was none of that. I mean, sure, it IS there, sort of, but this book was so painfully boring from the beginning, I genuinely thought I picked up the wrong book. You learn almost nothing about the witch society, it's all just boring normal-people stuff, and I have enough of that in real life. And then I got to the 50% mark (!!!), and something finally happened. It didn't make the book better, though, it only just got worse. Be careful what you wish for, really.
There are four main characters but not really. They're all boring, completely flat, and it took me way too long to be able to distinguish between all of them. Leonie had the potential to be interesting, but she also gets the least amount of chapters, and they're all very stilted and don't seem very genuine. Elle is just boring. So is Niamh. Helena is such a pitiful, caricature-esque portrayal of avillain , it's laughable. Theo is by far the most interesting and compelling character, but we know absolutely nothing about her . NOTHING. She might as well have not even been there, seriously. This book would have been so much better if it was from her perspective.
I was under the impression that this book was mainly about gender and transphobia, and that was not it. I'm not really sure WHAT exactly the book was about, to be honest. When you finally get to the trans storyline, everything is just completely black and white, good vs. bad, no gray areas whatsoever, absolutely no nuance. What's worse, at times it felt like I was supposed to feel bad forHelena ??? When Niamh is telling her, for the last time, that either she accepts Theo or it's over between them, it was randomly revealed that her dead husband had been abusive, and it's implied that THAT'S why she hates trans people? Or trans women. Or cis men, I don't even know what the message was there. And the same thing happened with Snow--when she tells her mother about Theo, she corrects her multiple time when she misgenders Theo, but then her mother is killed and she's obviously entitled to her grief, but the way it manifests is... transphobic slurs? Like, okay... Interesting.
Anyway, this was really not what I was expecting, which sucks, because I was genuinely hoping this book would be amazing, especially since there are obvious parallels to one particular British person well-known for her transphobia. But nope. It was just disappointing.
There are four main characters but not really. They're all boring, completely flat, and it took me way too long to be able to distinguish between all of them. Leonie had the potential to be interesting, but she also gets the least amount of chapters, and they're all very stilted and don't seem very genuine. Elle is just boring. So is Niamh. Helena is such a pitiful, caricature-esque portrayal of a
I was under the impression that this book was mainly about gender and transphobia, and that was not it. I'm not really sure WHAT exactly the book was about, to be honest. When you finally get to the trans storyline, everything is just completely black and white, good vs. bad, no gray areas whatsoever, absolutely no nuance. What's worse, at times it felt like I was supposed to feel bad for
Anyway, this was really not what I was expecting, which sucks, because I was genuinely hoping this book would be amazing, especially since there are obvious parallels to one particular British person well-known for her transphobia. But nope. It was just disappointing.
sammytee's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
4.25
lizzierae's review against another edition
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
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
4.0
honestbiscotti's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
rosewitch44's review
Got distracted re-reading the 'Inheritance' series. To be returned to.
fezzik's review against another edition
challenging
dark
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
5.0
sydneyamend's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
b00kh0arder's review against another edition
3.0
Round up to 3.5 stars.
This book is very well written, with a well constructed narrative - as I was able to race through it - but despite this, I'm not sure it's the book for me right now. Although I'm still thinking about it even afterwards - there's a lot of thought provoking material - and if you're interested I'd still recommend giving it a go.
Also very much loved and appreciated all the 90s references.
This book is very well written, with a well constructed narrative - as I was able to race through it - but despite this, I'm not sure it's the book for me right now. Although I'm still thinking about it even afterwards - there's a lot of thought provoking material - and if you're interested I'd still recommend giving it a go.
Also very much loved and appreciated all the 90s references.