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madamenovelist's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Xenophobia, Death, Cursing, Blood, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Colonisation, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, and Violence
Moderate: Animal death
Minor: Rape and Sexual assault
The sexual assault is only referenced in the past. The animal death turns out to not *actually* be a death but it’s still upsetting for a moment.noahsingh's review against another edition
fast-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Gun violence
Moderate: Vomit and Colonisation
Minor: Death of parent, Rape, Addiction, Alcoholism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Body horror
onthesamepage's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This isn't a perfect book by any means, but I really enjoyed my time with it. I loved the creepy island vibes, the Filipino myths, the commentary on colonization and racism. I also loved that this was about a group of white people who go to a remote island, ignore all the warnings from local civilians, have zero respect for the culture and religion of the place, and then suffer for it by getting picked off one by one. Alon makes for a great main character, although I do think Askal the dog stole the show a little. I liked the twists and turns this story took, and was pretty satisfied with the ending.
I also really liked the inclusion of lines in Tagalog, but I've been told by a Filipina friend that the Tagalog reads a little stilted. I also looked up a few other reviews, and this one by Kate also mentions the Tagalog, and goes a step further to say that it was the wrong language to use for the region the island is supposed to be located in.
This isn't a perfect book by any means, but I really enjoyed my time with it. I loved the creepy island vibes, the Filipino myths, the commentary on colonization and racism. I also loved that this was about a group of white people who go to a remote island, ignore all the warnings from local civilians, have zero respect for the culture and religion of the place, and then suffer for it by getting picked off one by one. Alon makes for a great main character, although I do think Askal the dog stole the show a little. I liked the twists and turns this story took, and was pretty satisfied with the ending.
I also really liked the inclusion of lines in Tagalog, but I've been told by a Filipina friend that the Tagalog reads a little stilted. I also looked up a few other reviews, and this one by Kate also mentions the Tagalog, and goes a step further to say that it was the wrong language to use for the region the island is supposed to be located in.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Alcoholism
Minor: Sexual assault
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