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erinhanso's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Gore, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Death, Domestic abuse, Grief, Rape, Animal cruelty, Murder, Stalking, Animal death, Infertility, Mental illness, and Pedophilia
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Drug use, Drug abuse, and Car accident
mayukiiq's review against another edition
5.0
this was absolutely maddening.
Graphic: Blood, Mental illness, Gore, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, and Drug use
jlfaith21's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Murder, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Gore, and Death
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Animal death, Death of parent, and Drug use
mollywill's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Gore, Murder, Child abuse, and Animal death
arthur_ant18's review against another edition
- 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
3.25
Graphic: Self harm, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Blood, Pedophilia, Death, Gaslighting, Gore, Violence, Mental illness, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Alcohol, Death of parent, and Rape
Minor: Forced institutionalization and Suicide attempt
jessicaludden's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I didn’t have very many expectations going into this. I was expecting a murder mystery psychological thriller with a little bit of Greek tragedy sprinkled in and while I did get that, it wasn’t what I thought it was going to be. I was confused for a majority of this book and not in the “you’re supposed to be confused” murder mystery kind of way. There were way too many red herrings for my taste. It felt like every part in this book introduced a new character I was supposed to be suspicious of. Every time I turned a page some guy was hitting on Mariana, saying something weird or acting suspiciously when the culprit ended up being someone who was barely in the story. I guess that’s due to the point of view of the book and getting into the main character’s perspective. We were tricked the same way she was, but this book left me wondering what the point of so many characters and so many “coincidences” was. What was the point of Henry besides a few jump scares here and there? Also, why does Mariana walk alone at night so much? There were so many things she did that made alarm bells go off in my head. Genuinely was the point of Fred? I was convinced he was the person who wrote the letter. I was even convinced he was somehow Sebastian reincarnated or Sebastian from an alternate universe because of how many connections there were between the two of them. Maybe it’s supposed to be symbolic? Maybe Mariana’s idea of who Sebastian was is meant to be paralleled with Fred and that’s how she’s supposed to move on? The plot twist was good, definitely didn’t see that coming. Almost to the point where it was kind of ridiculous and only used for shock value. Edward sure did a good job of acting guilty of a murder he didn’t commit. I thought there was no way he wasn’t involved in it. I did enjoy Mariana’s background as a therapist and how her perspective played into each of her interactions with other people. Overall, I enjoyed trying to solve this mystery, but there were just too many parts of the puzzle that didn’t even belong in the box.
Favorite Quotes:
“We are born being watched—our parents’ expressions, what we see reflected in the mirror of their eyes, determines how we see ourselves.”
“…a kind of miracle would occur within this circle—the birth of a separate entity: a group spirit, a group mind; a ‘big mind,’ it was often called, more than the sun of its parts…”
“‘It was written’ is the Greek expression. Meaning, quite simply, from that moment on, their destinies were sealed.”
“In many ways, Mariana’s and Sebastian’s lives began when they found each other—in that instant they first saw each other by the river.”
“‘It doesn’t take much to save a childhood.’”
“The liminal is between two worlds—on the very edge of what it means to be human—where everything is stripped away from you; where you transcend this life, and experience something beyond it. And when the tragedies are working, they give us a glimpse of what that feels like.”
“‘If you’re not aware of the transcendent, if you’re not awake to the glorious mystery of life and death that you’re lucky enough to be part of—if that doesn’t fill you with joy and strike you with awe… you might as well not be alive. That’s the message of tragedies. Participate in the wonder.’”
“‘I’m not a damsel in distress, a… maiden waiting to be rescued.’”
Minor: Child abuse, Death, Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Sexual harassment, Murder, Gore, Sexual assault, and Rape
myantigone's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.25
Graphic: Death, Gore, Mental illness, and Murder
Moderate: Body horror, Blood, Grief, and Stalking
Minor: Forced institutionalization, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
mykes's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Incest, Alcohol, Body horror, Stalking, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Violence, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Gore, Grief, Infidelity, Death, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Emotional abuse, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual assault
luckykosmos's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.75
Just no.
ADDENDUM: I forgot my massive pet peeve of dialogue in non-romanized script. Zero issue with it being in prose, but if it's dialogue, I want to know what it sounds like!!
Graphic: Ableism and Gore
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
gabriellakaoru's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Blood, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Gore, Grief, Mental illness, Murder, Suicide attempt, and Violence
Moderate: Infidelity
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Pedophilia