Take a photo of a barcode or cover
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Really really compelling entanglement of modern characters, motivations, and politics. It felt like such a treat to witness this kind of smooth yet complex storytelling. As someone who recently visited NZ, it was really cool to see Southland as this seemingly mundane setting for a sinister and tragic unraveling of lives. I really enjoyed the descriptions of characters’ changing relationships and perceptions of one another as the plot evolved. I can see why this is being called Shakespearean in the use of dramatic irony, which really got me worked up!! Damn good story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Cursing, Sexual content, Suicide, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Stalking, Car accident
Ecothriller, surveillance, late stage capitalism
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A bit heavy, but mostly in all the right ways.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Violence, Car accident, Murder, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
adventurous
informative
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Drug use, Grief, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Car accident, Gaslighting
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A pageturner. Liked the multi perspective approach and there was some spiky satire on all sides, ending didn't quite land for me but I was hooked to the last page
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Drug use, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Car accident, Murder, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Very good. The ending THREW me but was excellently done. Well worth a read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug use, Gun violence
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Stalking, Car accident, Murder
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Grief, Car accident, Toxic friendship
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Well-written but way too much detailed character development and too little plot development/action.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Violence, Murder, Alcohol
Minor: Drug use, Toxic friendship, Classism
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
WHEW.
This was on my TBR all year, and I finally squeezed it in as my last book of 2023. What a powerful (but very heavy) note to end on, kind of like 2023 itself. The story is about a group of activists who call themselves Birnam Wood, planting vegetables in random plots of land, and a billionaire whose interests briefly intersect with theirs, to devastating effect. I should have thought a little bit harder about Macbeth as I read this one, and maybe it wouldn’t have walloped me as hard in the gut as it did; truly, I have only myself to blame there, lol.
I can’t quite say that I ENJOYED it — it’s tense and uncomfortable and heavy — but it’s also unputdownable, almost like a thriller in the second half. Nearly every character is morally gray, which keeps things interesting and gives it depth. There’s no denying that Eleanor Catton is an incredible talent. The Luminaries has been staring at me from my shelf for months, and I think it’s finally time for me to make it a priority!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder
Moderate: Drug use, Grief