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purplepenning's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
This *just* passes my personal Doctor Who/Star Trek measuring stick of tolerable horror (i.e., I can tolerate science fantasy stories that are as unsettling as the scariest episodes of those shows as long as they're also creative, interesting, thoughtful, contain endearing characters, etc.).
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Self harm, Sexism, Alcohol, Grief, Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, and Terminal illness
Minor: Animal death and Vomit
Body horror:karthnemesis's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Animal death, Chronic illness, Injury/Injury detail, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Dementia
Minor: Grief, Dysphoria, Gore, and Murder
wardenred's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
It is very unpleasant to sit down to a meal when you are trying to determine which one of your breakfast companions is a murderer.
There’s always something so cozy about T. Kingfisher’s books, even when it’s a horror story. I really loved the protagonist here and the culture ka comes from. The whole deal with sworn soldiers who have their own pronouns is so different, but at the same time baked seamlessly into the fabric of 19th century Europe by including references to actual historical events and places. It was refreshing and interesting for me to see a protagonist who struggles with tinnitus (oh that bane of my existence, what would I give to hear silence again… ahem, sorry). I liked Easton’s observations about war and how people deal with its aftermath, and I liked seeing the bond ka developed with Denton over their wartime and post-wartime experiences. Also, Easton’s horse Kob was a character of his own, and what a lovely, opinionated character he makes.
The fungi-based horror escalated gradually throughout the novella, and I really enjoyed this build-up. Early on, the weird hares and the spooky lake and the creepy mushrooms were already firmly established as parts of the narrative, and Easton was already disturbed by the state ka found the Usher siblings in, and yet all of it was like a weird eldritch frame for a cozier, more human story: people bonding, and finding ways to have fun even while they’re anxious and worried, and opening up to each other. But the further the plot moved along, the thicker that frame became, creating moments of genuine horror. I loved how T. Kingfisher alternated between focusing on the horrors themselves and the characters’ reactions to them to deepen the effect.
My one small complaint is that the ending / resolution felt a little too rushed and abrupt. I think I would have enjoyed lingering there for another short chapter to see the characters start to process, maybe. That aside, this story is definitely going to end up on my list of 2024 favorites.
Graphic: Gun violence, Body horror, Chronic illness, Death, Terminal illness, and Animal death
Moderate: Murder and War
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
m3lwar3's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Medical trauma, Chronic illness, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gore, and Suicide
Minor: Grief
danimacuk's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Animal death, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gore, Chronic illness, Alcohol, Blood, and Murder
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
bookishchaos's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Gore, Body horror, and Chronic illness
Moderate: Animal death
flaminggecko's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Misogyny, Classism, Terminal illness, Grief, Murder, Chronic illness, Fire/Fire injury, Suicide, and Animal death
Moderate: War and Mental illness
Minor: Death of parent
keiraonyxraven's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: War, Chronic illness, Death, Grief, and Body horror
Moderate: Animal death and Animal cruelty
kirtreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Second time around the beginning felt a little slow, but I get that some world building had to happen until we could really get into the story. Once the plot picks up it really is great. Despite knowing the ending it was still a fun read.
Didn’t love the narrator for the audiobook, but the accents were just a little off for me but overall really enjoyed the book!
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Chronic illness, and Confinement
Moderate: Suicide and War
Minor: Vomit
perifairy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Moderate: Gore, Chronic illness, Body horror, and Death
Minor: Transphobia and War
Main character does not face transphobia on page, just alludes to experiencing it in the past. Book as a whole is very thoughtful on the characters own gender, and gender within the fictional culture