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bladebailey's review against another edition
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
While staying in a remote lakeside cabin to create her latest painting collection, Rita faces terrifying phenomena and her own emotional turmoil.
Green Fuse Burning blends together achingly beautiful prose, descriptions of art pieces relating to the story, heavy subject matter like climate change and grief and suicidality, and the vicious, gnashing natural world to form a truly unsettling piece of literature. Rita struggles with the recent traumatic death of her father, her rapidly failing relationship with girlfriend Molly, alienation from her Mi'kmaq community, and mental illness all while buckling under the expectation to produce excellent art. Graphically violent imagery of gored animals and mycelium-infested burning women haunt Rita by day so that she paints them at night. While I sometimes struggle with true horror, Green Fuse Burning employs such gorgeous prose and raw dialogue in a single character study that I find it an exquisite contribution to the genre.
Green Fuse Burning blends together achingly beautiful prose, descriptions of art pieces relating to the story, heavy subject matter like climate change and grief and suicidality, and the vicious, gnashing natural world to form a truly unsettling piece of literature. Rita struggles with the recent traumatic death of her father, her rapidly failing relationship with girlfriend Molly, alienation from her Mi'kmaq community, and mental illness all while buckling under the expectation to produce excellent art. Graphically violent imagery of gored animals and mycelium-infested burning women haunt Rita by day so that she paints them at night. While I sometimes struggle with true horror, Green Fuse Burning employs such gorgeous prose and raw dialogue in a single character study that I find it an exquisite contribution to the genre.
Graphic: Grief, Animal death, and Gore
ladyjane1114's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
A fantastic read. Terrifying and beautiful, and heartfelt and emotional. A privilege to share in this experience.
illtakethenightshiftx's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I loved the way the author framed this book through Rita’s paintings (that I wish I could see!!!)
This novella packs many punches in less than 100 pages with an ever-intensifying atmosphere, eerie imagery, explorations of grief, and extreme feelings of isolation that come with a remote setting. This checked a lot of boxes, but it didn’t quite hit for me. I liked the atmosphere, bird imagery, and the feeling of questioning reality, but there were some places I felt a little lost and where some of the horror elements feel a little flat for me.
This novella packs many punches in less than 100 pages with an ever-intensifying atmosphere, eerie imagery, explorations of grief, and extreme feelings of isolation that come with a remote setting. This checked a lot of boxes, but it didn’t quite hit for me. I liked the atmosphere, bird imagery, and the feeling of questioning reality, but there were some places I felt a little lost and where some of the horror elements feel a little flat for me.
Graphic: Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, and Grief
Additional CW: suicidal ideation (graphic)read247_instyle_inca's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
liveyourlife297's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
bethgold530's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
mads97's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
2.75
sarahdkdc's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
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
4.0
A weird and beautiful take on mushroom horror. I feel as if Morris shared a bit of her soul with us in this novella. I'm looking forward to more!
amandatacklestbr's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-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
5.0