Scan barcode
salted07's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
THIS BOOK DESTROYED ME BUT IN A GOOD WAY YOU SHOULD ALL READ IT
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Self harm, Blood, Abandonment, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Death
Minor: Gaslighting, Gore, Blood, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Child abuse, and Death
vaguelyredhead's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Vomit, and Grief
Moderate: Death, Self harm, and Abandonment
Minor: Kidnapping and Blood
naddles's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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? It's complicated
5.0
A love letter to loneliness. I think I'd read it again and again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Self harm
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Body shaming, Blood, and Abandonment
lyraparledor's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Self harm
Minor: Death, Suicidal thoughts, and Death of parent
hobbit_at_heart's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Abandonment, and Death of parent
Moderate: Blood, Self harm, Death, Classism, Confinement, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
vampire_burrito's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
bitterthorn's biggest strength, is its exploration of loneliness. in the authors note, she says that this book was first written during lockdown and i think that you can really tell that while reading the book. kat dunn manages to perfectly capture the all-consuming loneliness, the way that spaces which had previously felt so large suddenly felt as though there wasn't enough space to breath (maybe i'm self-projecting a little bit here) and the need to just be anywhere but your home. it also talks about how loneliness is not something that can be whisked away with a change of scenery. how sometimes there is no cure for loneliness.
mina was a main character who i really vibed with. i don't think that she'll be for everyone but i related to her on a very deep level. her relationship with nature was something that I loved reading about. it made me want to go for a very long walk or run off into the forest for a few days. but perhaps more interesting than mina's relationship to the natural world is her relationship with the actual world. again this is entering oversharing territory, but her constant rejected or feeling of rejection by everyone she encounters, feeling like no one in her life understands her and the NEED to be seen by someone, anyone. while i liked mina, i found the witch to be a little bland. i think that i would have personally wanted a little bit more development for her because all we really got was "she's sexy. and lives in a castle. with a tragic backstory." i also feel i have to mention how cathartic writing mina's character was (from what i can tell) for the author. once again, all of this context has been taken from the authors note, where she talks about the death of her mother. i don't want to go into it too much but it was very nice to read.
what made me dislike this book a little bit, was the second half. all the things that I have praised above are definitely there, but they were only there for the first 50%. the second half was in my opinion rushed and cliché. i didn't like the revealthat the witch was spinning time in her tower . i thought that it was very... ya fantasy.
i also enjoyed seeing dunn's progression from her first series/ book, dangerous remedy which i was not a fan of at all. the character work in this is incredible when compared to that book and the writing has been refined so much. i can tell how much work she put into developing the craft of writing in the three years between those two books. i am very excited to see where this author goes next especially since her next book is a carmilla retelling (i have not read carmilla yet, but the vibes seem good)
also can't forget to mention the dedication "to younger me, i'm so sorry. it is as bad as you think it is, but you'll escape." :(
mina was a main character who i really vibed with. i don't think that she'll be for everyone but i related to her on a very deep level. her relationship with nature was something that I loved reading about. it made me want to go for a very long walk or run off into the forest for a few days. but perhaps more interesting than mina's relationship to the natural world is her relationship with the actual world. again this is entering oversharing territory, but her constant rejected or feeling of rejection by everyone she encounters, feeling like no one in her life understands her and the NEED to be seen by someone, anyone. while i liked mina, i found the witch to be a little bland. i think that i would have personally wanted a little bit more development for her because all we really got was "she's sexy. and lives in a castle. with a tragic backstory." i also feel i have to mention how cathartic writing mina's character was (from what i can tell) for the author. once again, all of this context has been taken from the authors note, where she talks about the death of her mother. i don't want to go into it too much but it was very nice to read.
what made me dislike this book a little bit, was the second half. all the things that I have praised above are definitely there, but they were only there for the first 50%. the second half was in my opinion rushed and cliché. i didn't like the reveal
i also enjoyed seeing dunn's progression from her first series/ book, dangerous remedy which i was not a fan of at all. the character work in this is incredible when compared to that book and the writing has been refined so much. i can tell how much work she put into developing the craft of writing in the three years between those two books. i am very excited to see where this author goes next especially since her next book is a carmilla retelling (i have not read carmilla yet, but the vibes seem good)
also can't forget to mention the dedication "to younger me, i'm so sorry. it is as bad as you think it is, but you'll escape." :(
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm
lisavandonselaar's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Self harm, and Grief
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Blood, Death of parent, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Kidnapping
gsher002's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
teenage me would lose her mind over this book. overall it’s a lovely story of slow burn romance though sometimes it was so slow it felt very repetitive and it started to lose me 3/4 of the way through.
I enjoyed the historical fantasy fiction aspect and the descriptions were gorgeous if a little overused.
the navigations of grief/loneliness were very astute and felt very personal which did effect the structure/narratives in a way that was engaging and added another layer and kept me going as a reader.
I enjoyed the historical fantasy fiction aspect and the descriptions were gorgeous if a little overused.
the navigations of grief/loneliness were very astute and felt very personal which did effect the structure/narratives in a way that was engaging and added another layer and kept me going as a reader.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Self harm
that_dork_in_the_corner's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- 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
This book is such a roller-coaster of emotions, Kat Dunn did not have to play with my feelings like that! It's so beautifully written and so worth the heart break you feel when you read that last sentence of any good book. 100% recommend
Content Warnings
Moderate: Self harm and Vomit
arminam's review against another edition
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Self harm, Abandonment, Grief, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Vomit