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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
idk how i felt about this overall? it was good, but i did skip bits and pieces here and there on pages, BUT i do know i enjoyed the characters and the dynamics between the sisters and how it evolved as the book went on.
(implied spoliers coming up)
i quite enjoyed the ending, too! the slightly eerie hints throughout leading up to the end scene were good! i was always wondering what the etched faces around the house were, i knew it wasn't the sisters but couldn't quite grasp it. So the ending really amplifying those vibes and finally revealing the pieces you were shown was great :^)
(implied spoliers coming up)
i quite enjoyed the ending, too! the slightly eerie hints throughout leading up to the end scene were good! i was always wondering what the etched faces around the house were, i knew it wasn't the sisters but couldn't quite grasp it. So the ending really amplifying those vibes and finally revealing the pieces you were shown was great :^)
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
This book dives into a climate changed world that is constantly flooded and rainy. It explores how relationships strain and deepen in the end times, how people go on as though nothing has changed (for this time is all they know) and how life simply cannot go on as normal in some ways. We tend to imagine an ‘end time’ where humans cease to exist, but what about the time leading up to that, how do we survive let alone live in those times?
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-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
armfield’s writing is so gorgeous and she captures the layers of familial dynamics — particularly sisterhood — so well here. i especially liked the use of the city as a voice and character, and the development of the relationships (for the most part). the end… however… felt just too abrupt and disjointedly connected for me. i feel like i don’t know where to place this book in my head — some stunning gems of world-building and character establishment, deft voice, irascible but endearing (to me…) characters, but the Big Overarching Plot fell flat. still, it’s been a minute since i read spec fic and this was a good entryway back
i was immediately enthralled by the book despite doubting it was going nowhere in particular due to armfield’s prose. i thought it would be a ghost story in a metaphorical and literal sense, not a cult one, and was thrown by what was happening at the end. it didn’t feel to me like the cult had enough embedding — which was disappointing considering how much was woven into this world.
i didn’t realize this was in its way climate fiction but appreciated the commentary around it. i didn’t expect isla to die…… but also by the end of the book it felt like she was trapped in a tragic spiral. i loved reading about irene and agnes’ romantic relationships and rupture/repair, the tenderness that comes with vulnerability, how hard it all is, how even in the supposed end times things can grow and be renewed.
i didn’t realize this was in its way climate fiction but appreciated the commentary around it. i didn’t expect isla to die…… but also by the end of the book it felt like she was trapped in a tragic spiral. i loved reading about irene and agnes’ romantic relationships and rupture/repair, the tenderness that comes with vulnerability, how hard it all is, how even in the supposed end times things can grow and be renewed.
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
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