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trickphoenix's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Murder, Death, and Suicide
Moderate: Self harm, Death of parent, Blood, Confinement, Xenophobia, and Toxic relationship
Minor: War, Grief, and Cancer
misoreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
Ngl I couldn't drop it once I began reading the first page. It's been the first book I read in less than a week for the first time in ages. I laughed and yell and sobbed.
Graphic: Blood, Murder, Suicide, Gore, Body horror, and Death
Moderate: Child death, Cursing, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Genocide, and Physical abuse
prettyfunctional's review
5.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Suicide, Child death, Slavery, Body horror, Death, and Gore
Moderate: Chronic illness, Terminal illness, Murder, Cancer, Blood, Violence, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, and Confinement
Minor: Vomit
uranaishi's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Violence, Gore, Blood, Death of parent, Chronic illness, Death, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Abandonment, Body horror, Cancer, Child death, Confinement, Grief, Child abuse, Classism, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Physical abuse, Suicide, Stalking, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Vomit, and Infertility
Minor: Alcohol, Pregnancy, and War
abookandaspotoftea's review
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Minor: Death of parent
panthalassa's review
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Abandonment, Cannibalism, Classism, Emotional abuse, Grief, Medical content, Mental illness, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and War
lolajh's review
- 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
Gideon and Harrow are just about the most well-written female characters ever. Both snarky, sarcastic, traumatised lesbians that are so pure and loveable beneath it all I love them so much 😭 How Tamsyn has written them so beautifully, so perfectly complex I do not know.
One thing that I got slightly tired of is the mention and practical character trait at this point, of Gideon exercising. It happens way too often for far too long each session; the expression of her “keeping going until she’s spent” is just a very unhealthy relationship with exercise and I believe Gideon’s strength could still be conveyed without her exercising being described as this. And it is glossed over, not at all referenced to be something unhealthy, which can definitely be a dangerous thing to convey. I still love Gideon, but do find myself skipping over mentions of her exercising because it can be a bit triggering at times and makes me a tad bit uncomfy. Act Three and onwards she does turn into so much more than just a “hot butch lesbian”. She has emotions and reactions that haven’t really been shown in the book; anxiety, fear, worry, selflessness, all things in which the events at Canaan House motivate her to feel. Her whole “strong and confident” thing is really a front she has used to protect herself from being hurt her whole life when she’s had no friends and no one to truly care about, so when that wall is brought down by herself and Harrow and others like Palamedes and Jeannemary, she becomes so much more of a character to root for, more than just what I first perceived to be a cocky, narcissistic, one-dimensional character.
Harrow’s development was amazing too. After having hardly any insight to her true character for the majority of the book, when her backstory and past with Gideon is finally explained, when her behaviour with Gideon is finally explained, it becomes more than just a petty rivalry between these two. They have some traumatic history with each other, and their rivalry leads them to knowing not a lot about each other.
Graphic: Gore, Cancer, Cannibalism, Toxic relationship, Blood, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Body horror, Child death, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Mental illness, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence
littlebutton's review
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Child abuse
jjjreads's review
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Body horror, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Self harm, Slavery, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Violence
tarynlannister's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Child death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Body horror, Cursing, and Death
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Grief, Medical content, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Bullying, and Xenophobia
Minor: Child abuse, Confinement, War, Sexual content, and Emotional abuse