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izzybmeow's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
lilyanajunee's review
2.0
I had such high hopes for this book. When I found it, it seemed like it was going to be a favorite for me. It started out strong, and I really, really thought I was going to love it. But then it took me a month to get through the rest. Because it was painfully bland.
Marianne is grieving the loss of her younger sister Marie who dies tragically after living with hairy cell leukemia her entire life. In the wake of this grief, Marianne shuts herself off from her career and struggles to process this loss, which physically manifests itself as thick black hairs coursing down her spine. After seeking medical treatment for these strange hairs, she's referred to Nede, a rehabilitation center where Marianne goes to heal. What's supposed to be a peaceful, restorative visit to a serene paradise turns into something more sinister.
Right. So on paper, that sounded like it was up my alley, and I wish it had been. But this was incredibly underwhelming, and the pacing was disappointing. The novel spends entirely too long building up the back story and not enough building out the rest of it. We jump from half of a book that explains Marianne's relationship with her sister Marie and her partner into an abrupt ending that honestly didn't make much sense. I walked away feeling frustrated that I spent my time reading this novel.
This was just really a letdown.
Marianne is grieving the loss of her younger sister Marie who dies tragically after living with hairy cell leukemia her entire life. In the wake of this grief, Marianne shuts herself off from her career and struggles to process this loss, which physically manifests itself as thick black hairs coursing down her spine. After seeking medical treatment for these strange hairs, she's referred to Nede, a rehabilitation center where Marianne goes to heal. What's supposed to be a peaceful, restorative visit to a serene paradise turns into something more sinister.
Right. So on paper, that sounded like it was up my alley, and I wish it had been. But this was incredibly underwhelming, and the pacing was disappointing. The novel spends entirely too long building up the back story and not enough building out the rest of it. We jump from half of a book that explains Marianne's relationship with her sister Marie and her partner into an abrupt ending that honestly didn't make much sense. I walked away feeling frustrated that I spent my time reading this novel.
This was just really a letdown.
iblyth's review
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
bonechandelier's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
ryzmat's review
2.0
Following the death of her sister, Marianne finds strange black hairs growing from her spine and opts to go to a mysterious wellness center to treat the hairs and her depression.
Such a promising concept! The body horror was great. The mystery was intriguing. But ultimately this was quite boring, as the majority of the story was flashbacks of Marianne’s sisters illness, and the story in the present felt wildly unfinished.
Such a promising concept! The body horror was great. The mystery was intriguing. But ultimately this was quite boring, as the majority of the story was flashbacks of Marianne’s sisters illness, and the story in the present felt wildly unfinished.
xanthippe's review
2.0
The concept of this books was really promising, but it was poorly executed. WAY too much time was spent on Marie’s back story and how Marianne got to where she was before Marie died. It could’ve easily been revealed in a sentence, and more time could’ve been given to Marianne’s experience at Nede. The parts at Nede, especially the last two chapters, felt so rushed and were very unsatisfying. I was so excited for this book and am really disappointed at how much I didn’t like it.