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cturn's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
Atmosphere - 7
Writing - 7
Plot - 7
Intrigue - 5
Logic - 6
Enjoyment - 7
CAWPILE score - 6.7
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death of parent, Child death, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Suicide, Alcohol, Addiction, Drug use, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, and Sexual assault
feyreofthestars's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Body horror, Death, Death of parent, and Gore
Moderate: Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Stalking, Bullying, and Vomit
Minor: Alcoholism, Alcohol, Animal death, and Drug use
bzliz's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Ten years ago, Iris and her two sisters went missing for a month. Now her eldest sister Grey is missing again and has left clues for Iris and Vivi to be able to find her- or her body- because something from their forgotten past is coming back to haunt them.
The only reason I can’t give this five stars is because of how easily I was able to predict the two major twists. The imagery was so beautiful and disgusting that I could really feel Iris’ fascination, obsession & revulsion. My favorite character ending up being Cate. Although she is a deeply flawed, haunted woman, I came to understand her controlling tendencies and her big heart. I’m not a mother but I believe only a mother could climb a mountain of trauma and still find love on the other side.
I spent several hours after I finished this book thinking about it and how I would rate and review it. It’s been a while since I needed to sit with something for a while to gather my thoughts, which is a point in its favor.
Graphic: Suicide, Vomit, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Murder
Moderate: Medical content, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Kidnapping
Minor: Alcoholism, Drug use, Drug abuse, Alcohol, and Eating disorder
I’ve tagged eating disorder as a potential content warning. Although the behavior is caused by a different condition, the Hollow sisters (get it?) do engage in binge eating behaviors. Their continued description of being thin in defiance of how many calories they must consume daily could be triggering for someone struggling with their own disordered eating.aehollins21'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
5.0
Moderate: Sexual assault, Drug use, and Alcoholism
Minor: Sexual assault
tigger89's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
That said, there is a slight romantic distraction which felt out of place, given how strong the focus was on finding Grey. The ending of the book seemed to be leaving room for a sequel, though one hasn't been announced, so I'm especially concerned that any continuation of the story would be completely overpowered by this focus. But this is very much a personal gripe, and maybe most readers would enjoy Iris exploring her attraction! I will say that there's some excellent LGBTQ rep here, with Iris being bisexual and Vivi being a lesbian.
As for the fantasy, I believe it would appeal to readers who enjoy things on the darker side. Little uncanny glimpses were dropped in to build tension, employing images of insects, decay, and invasive growth to unsettle the reader. I wouldn't go so far as to say this is a horror novel, at least not any more than a dark fairy tale retelling is horror, but I can see the imagery getting under some readers' skin. I know I was brushing imaginary bugs off my arms sometimes as I read. As much as it got under my skin with some of the imagery, I have to say that, if I'd come across this book when I was a teen, it would've been my absolute favorite.
Moderate: Alcohol, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Drug use, Blood, and Child death
florecita_lectora's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Gore, Body horror, Murder, Violence, Stalking, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, and Death of parent
Moderate: Bullying, Grief, Child death, Drug use, and Suicide
Minor: Vomit
lensbooks14'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
5.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Grief, Death of parent, Misogyny, Bullying, Gore, Blood, Murder, Vomit, Violence, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug use, and Sexual assault
cecinamo'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
4.75
Alsoo there is sapphic rep!!!!
Graphic: Body horror, Blood, Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, Stalking, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Vomit
Moderate: Drug use, Alcoholism, Fire/Fire injury, Addiction, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Gun violence, and Pedophilia
karin_goodreads's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I remember everything. You just wouldn't believe me if I told you.
Grey was right, nobody would believe such an insane story, but people dig the mysterious and occult. At some point even I thought that I'd be happier if I didn't know what exactly was going on, but I also know that I'm way too curious. By the end I had a difficult time accepting all the facts, like come on, that's just plain tragic what happened.
Your life would be happier if you didn’t know.
Knowledge is power.
And ignorance is bliss.
I was pretty hopeful at the beginning and I wasn't let down per se, but some parts felt overly repeated and explained while other (
Sometimes the dialogue seemed like a part of the conversation was just cut out or the flow wasn't entirely natural, but it didn't bother me that much, I just noticed it a couple of times.
There are things in every family that are not talked about. Stories you know without really knowing how you know them, tales of terrible things that cast long shadows over generations.
Oh for sure, this shadow has been cast over these people for so long and there's a sense of knowing what is going on, but still doubting your gut feeling. I feel bad for everyone involved, all of you get therapy!
Seriously, this is one of the more shocking stories I've read. It crawls inside you and makes your skin itch. I did not want to believe until the last second - hope does cruel things to us!
Graphic: Child death, Body horror, Death, Gore, Sexual assault, and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Vomit, Suicide, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Grief
Minor: Alcohol, Drug use, Kidnapping, Medical content, Bullying, and Murder
imskylow's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
A WHOLE star off for that egregious kiss though. Did not need that to be in the story. We can have platonic relationships between sexes too, you know
Graphic: Death of parent, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Body horror, and Death
Moderate: Drug use, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Addiction, Child death, Medical trauma, Drug abuse, and Vomit
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Bullying