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pankadoll's review against another edition
Warnings for these 18 first percent are amazing :) I love a good powerplay in a fiction relationship, I repeat, LOVE it. I tried to push through but it's no fun and a nauseating read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Vomit, Adult/minor relationship, and Toxic relationship
lanarkunas's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Infidelity, Alcohol, Death, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Gun violence, War, Vomit, Sexism, Death of parent, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Grief, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Mass/school shootings, Kidnapping, Child death, Classism, and Violence
lasbrumas's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- 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
4.0
A short review for this one.
It should be noted for anyone reading this for the first time, there are times this book gets mildly NSFW (spoilered for that content)with some mild BSDM-like scenes and one scene where Marya has sex on a desk though its not extremely explicit. There are at least 3 instances I can think of, though there may be more. I was surprised to come across it so be warned!
The prose was excellent, so I couldn't find complaints there. I will say that based on others' reviews and stuff I saw on Tumblr, I went in expecting a much different book, though. Despite that, I wasn't disappointed, really? The way the book is written is much more reminiscent of fairy tales than any standard novel with a hero's journey or similar plot. There's a sort of circularness to the plot and a timelessness, despite the book's events being set during WWII. I could tell Valente really did her research into both the fairytales and the culture and setting of Russia during that time period. Even the tiniest detail felt like Valente had worked on getting it as accurate as possible. I'm not Russian though, so I would be interested to see what others from there think.
Honestly, the only reason this isn't a five is because the book didn't blow me away. It was written well and culturally rich, but in the end the plot was just okay. The characters I can't say I liked? But more in a sense that I would never want to be their friends. They're all pretty terrible people, but that's the point. They are as mean and nasty as they can be kind when it comes to it.
Overall, would I recommend it? Yes. Would I call it the greatest thing I read last year (even if I only just finished it this year)? Not really. I much preferred the immersiveness of other books. But in the end, it's not a bad book.
It should be noted for anyone reading this for the first time, there are times this book gets mildly NSFW (spoilered for that content)
The prose was excellent, so I couldn't find complaints there. I will say that based on others' reviews and stuff I saw on Tumblr, I went in expecting a much different book, though. Despite that, I wasn't disappointed, really? The way the book is written is much more reminiscent of fairy tales than any standard novel with a hero's journey or similar plot. There's a sort of circularness to the plot and a timelessness, despite the book's events being set during WWII. I could tell Valente really did her research into both the fairytales and the culture and setting of Russia during that time period. Even the tiniest detail felt like Valente had worked on getting it as accurate as possible. I'm not Russian though, so I would be interested to see what others from there think.
Honestly, the only reason this isn't a five is because the book didn't blow me away. It was written well and culturally rich, but in the end the plot was just okay. The characters I can't say I liked? But more in a sense that I would never want to be their friends. They're all pretty terrible people, but that's the point. They are as mean and nasty as they can be kind when it comes to it.
Overall, would I recommend it? Yes. Would I call it the greatest thing I read last year (even if I only just finished it this year)? Not really. I much preferred the immersiveness of other books. But in the end, it's not a bad book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Vomit, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Sexual content
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