Scan barcode
rieviolet's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
All in all, the book was a lot darker than I expected, it wasn't a terrilble read, it was readable enough but nothing much stood out to me, in terms of writing style or characterization.
The writing style especially felt a little bit flat for me, I found the prose either quite plain or overdone, too much sensational. The narrative was a bit disjointed and slow-moving. At times, it felt like the descriptions dragged on and there was little else under the surface to keep you engaged.
As the story progressed and more and more dark themes were added, it became quite a lot to digest. I think that this darkenss, paired with the really gothic setting and the supernatural undertones, made the story feel at times a little bit "too much", too melodramatic.
I admit that I'm not really keen on taxidermy so maybe it's mostly on me, but I still think that there were really too many details about the animals
that added little to the story. Especially in the final part of the book, there were way too many lists, I counted at least 5, interminable catalogues of animals and objects that really took me out of the reading experience and just annoyed me.
I can appreciate the ending chosen for the main characters but the story
and its characters did not particularly stand out to me, it was just okay. I think I came into it with too high expectations and so I was even more disappointed.
The writing style especially felt a little bit flat for me, I found the prose either quite plain or overdone, too much sensational. The narrative was a bit disjointed and slow-moving. At times, it felt like the descriptions dragged on and there was little else under the surface to keep you engaged.
As the story progressed and more and more dark themes were added, it became quite a lot to digest. I think that this darkenss, paired with the really gothic setting and the supernatural undertones, made the story feel at times a little bit "too much", too melodramatic.
I admit that I'm not really keen on taxidermy so maybe it's mostly on me, but I still think that there were really too many details about the animals
that added little to the story. Especially in the final part of the book, there were way too many lists, I counted at least 5, interminable catalogues of animals and objects that really took me out of the reading experience and just annoyed me.
I can appreciate the ending chosen for the main characters but the story
and its characters did not particularly stand out to me, it was just okay. I think I came into it with too high expectations and so I was even more disappointed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Grief, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Sexism, and Pedophilia
Moderate: Ableism, Animal death, Car accident, Infidelity, War, Violence, Sexual content, Racism, Murder, and Rape
Minor: Alcoholism, Fatphobia, Lesbophobia, Vomit, and Miscarriage
More...