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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
love the cover art. personally, i dislike the trope of “smart device becomes possessed/vessel for malice”, but i feel like that aspect of the novel doesn’t matter that much. yes, its fairly prevalent in the beginning, yes it continues to be mentioned, but i don’t think it’s a “problem”. i wish there was…a different way in, but i guess in the age of Google Home/Alexa and Amazon, Moreno’s Itza Smart Speaker and Sahara (amazon) are good enough stand ins.
this book is about grief and rage. i think moreno does a great job looking at the introspection of grief and how it can shut a person off to the world. “could this story have happened if the MC’s community was different” is an interesting question. i don’t know! maybe. maybe it just would’ve been slightly different.
it unashamedly touches on Latino identity and alienation, particularly for non-spanish speaking latinos. i’m glad that was part of the bigger cosmic horror angle.
mild spoilers: i love the POV shift at the end||, not sure i love the ambiguity of the ending as a whole
ultimately it’s about mental collapse under grief. i think it does a wonderful job with that. it’s not a jump scary book, much more cosmic and existential as the book goes on. i enjoyed it. apparently it’s based off the unexpected death of his wife’s best friend, who was like a sister to him and his family. makes sense a story like this is deeply personal.
my favorite part is how ethnic / racial identity and community is woven into a cosmic horror story. those are real, life changing things that happen every day and seeing it blown out on such a huge scale was wonderful.
this book is about grief and rage. i think moreno does a great job looking at the introspection of grief and how it can shut a person off to the world. “could this story have happened if the MC’s community was different” is an interesting question. i don’t know! maybe. maybe it just would’ve been slightly different.
it unashamedly touches on Latino identity and alienation, particularly for non-spanish speaking latinos. i’m glad that was part of the bigger cosmic horror angle.
mild spoilers: i love the POV shift at the end||, not sure i love the ambiguity of the ending as a whole
ultimately it’s about mental collapse under grief. i think it does a wonderful job with that. it’s not a jump scary book, much more cosmic and existential as the book goes on. i enjoyed it. apparently it’s based off the unexpected death of his wife’s best friend, who was like a sister to him and his family. makes sense a story like this is deeply personal.
my favorite part is how ethnic / racial identity and community is woven into a cosmic horror story. those are real, life changing things that happen every day and seeing it blown out on such a huge scale was wonderful.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
WOW. incredible read
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit
funny
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-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
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
I just don't have the words. Gus is an amazing writer and this book had me on the edge throughout. The depth of the protagonist was incredible and you felt the emotion through each paragraph.
Read it please.
Read it please.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No