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Graphic: Confinement, Death, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder
Moderate: Cancer, Chronic illness, Genocide, Gun violence, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, War
Minor: Sexual content, Death of parent
Graphic: Body horror, Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cancer, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Chronic illness, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Alcohol, War
Graphic: Cancer, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Suicide, Murder
Moderate: Chronic illness
I also wasn’t convinced that these two were soulmates or that they even loved each other. This was mainly due to Evelyn’s apprehension at almost all times but even more so as we drew closer to the present. It was frustrating too, that we and Evelyn were so left in the dark about their past while Arden remembered everything. I can, however, appreciated that this book truly encompassed a diverse amount of countries and genders.
I didn’t really see the “big” reveal coming either. It took a twist that I was not expecting. I was also rather surprised that with Branwen’s desire to save her sister mentioned in every other chapters, the ending was rather lackluster. The final chapter didn’t do enough for me and I think we’re still left to wonder what really happened to Branwen/Evelyn.
Moderate: Cancer, Chronic illness, Death of parent
Graphic: Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, War
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic
Graphic: Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War
Moderate: Body horror, Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
What I got: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, but way worse
I really should have DNF'd this book. About a quarter of the way through, I considered it, and I noted down all of the problems I had. By the end, none of those things had improved, and more problems cropped up. But I had an advanced copy of this, so I felt compelled to push through.
To be concise, here are my issues, in a quick (ish) list:
1. We never actually see love develop between the characters, we're just told that they have loved each other before.
2. Their souls aren't bound to a certain sex or race, and that would be interesting is addressed, but aside from one brief conversation, it's never really discussed. This feels like a plot device for the sake of variation more than anything thought out and intentional.
3. There's so much potential in exploring international relations or how different life is for different people, but it's just not. They live one life in the body of French soldiers, and the next in recently liberated Algeria! Tell me more about the complex interplay between those identities!
4. "No book has ever made me understand telling instead of showing like this.
5. The characters were inconsistent across different lives! Most of why I read reincarnation or alternate reality books is to see how authors show the same character but raised in different circumstances. But that wasn't done here. Evelyn-in-2022 would show no interest in something, until it was introduced in a flashback to a previous life, and then suddenly it would be a trait in the present.
6. This is technically a spoiler, but it's not a plot thing, but
7. The reveal wasn't even good! I'll give the book it's flowers that I wasn't expecting that, but I wasn't expecting it because there was no reason to ever think that was even a possibility.
Graphic: Chronic illness, Murder
Moderate: Death of parent