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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
emotional
challenging
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Told in multiple pov's with the story alternating between their perspectives. There are at least 5 pov's that blend past and present with living and dead that tell their stories. It is set in 1935 in Hawaii during the volcano eruption with flashbacks and memories of decades past. It is character-driven, lyrical, poetic, atmospheric, and culturally textured. I love how it captures the landscape.
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I wanted so badly to love this book. I wanted to feel like the writing was poetic. That’s what I’d heard when given the recommendation. Maybe reading reviews first tainted my opinion, but I definitely found myself getting distracted by the overused pidgin and the trying-too-hard place descriptions, which took away from the story. Ultimately, the story was thin, I was a bit bored, and the book was disappointing.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
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:
N/A
It was good but not engrossing. Interesting.
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
There just did not seem to be much of a plot and I have so many other books to read, no reason to keep going.
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5 stars, I think? Not entirely confident on my rating. There isn't anything bad per se about this book, the story is fine and it's also relatively easy to read. I found the "island voices"/"ghost voices" chapters at the end of each section were cool. But I can't really say that I enjoyed the book itself. Again, nothing bad, but I just felt very detached while reading it. Like things were happening, but I wasn't feeling much. I wasn't really engaged and, starting around the three-quarter mark, my mind just started wandering off a lot.
So, yeah, this is the rating I'm giving it (at least for now).
So, yeah, this is the rating I'm giving it (at least for now).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Racism, Xenophobia, Dementia, Abandonment
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Infidelity, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Miscarriage, Rape, Slavery, Violence, Vomit, Abortion, Colonisation