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bree_h_reads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
What an amazing read. Genuinely, amazing.
The way it tackled themes of madness and grief were striking and left me confused in the way one should be when reading from the perspective of someone that’s trapped between illusions and reality. The conclusion actually remedied a lot of the issues I had with the earlier parts of the story. On top of that excellent execution, the characters and world felt very striking and realistic. Sibling dynamics and how they all reacted to things rarely caught me off guard in the sense of being unrealistic. Each character felt very real and alive. Seeing how they interacted with their world and its beliefs was also very interesting. On top of the world building itself being fascinating.
Really my only issue was the ending as it made me so mad I dropped it from 5 stars. (And this only applies the to epilogue/seven months later portion.)
Overall it was an amazing book and retellings that still capture the original while being so distinct and unique are a favourite of mine. It is, however, an extremely dark book and I highly recommend looking at content/trigger warnings before reading it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Alcohol, Blood, Child death, Death, Body horror, Miscarriage, Gore, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Animal death, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Fire/Fire injury, and Stalking
Minor: Domestic abuse, Infidelity, and Emotional abuse
genie_213's review
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
This book was a rollercoaster of me going “huh?” I love a good fantasy world and this book was not giving me that. Where was the world-building? And the ending really felt like a sell-out.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Miscarriage, and Child death
weyrdkat's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Child death, Pregnancy, Blood, and Grief
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
Minor: Suicide and Death of parent
caltree's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Child death, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Blood, Suicide, and Gore
girrllie's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Very good read but be prepared for child death. I didn’t realize this is a horror book for awhile, usually not something I like to read. But it’s horror light, an interesting story, and good writing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Child death, Domestic abuse, Grief, Pregnancy, Blood, and Body horror
magdapuczynska's review
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
The author is really good at creating mood and interesting worldbuilding and concepts. What she is not good at, however, is writing convincing romance and whodunnit murder mysteries - which is what the book was supposed to be. The foreshadowing is done in a very hasty manner and is resolved almost immediately. The main love interest has no personality whatsoever, he could've been a talking parrot and we would never know. The 6-year-old talks like a retired philosophy professor. And the ending feels like not even the author herself expected it when she sat down to write that day. I loved the textures, colors and the overall mood of the story. The concept was great as well and I was very excited for it. The execution, however, left me very disappointed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Miscarriage, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, and Grief
plip08's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
It was fine, I’ll give it 3.5 because the last 100 pages were gripping and read them all in one sitting but the first two hundred there wasn’t much going on. I wish there had been more fantasy elements in that first 200 as well. I did get super creeped out by the nightmares/visions the main character has and the villain, those were well done! She also did a great job building this world and engrossing you in it. I kind of hate that the girls were portrayed as all they cared about was getting married but I suppose if that’s the culture in their world what can you do. I was also let down by the father character, I expected him to have a bigger role in the end. I’m not quite sure how there is a second book? The story seems wrapped up nicely at the end? Guess we will see!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Death
daniellereadslikealot_'s review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I’ve had this book on my TBR for so long and I’m so happy I finally read it! It’s probably one of the most atmospheric books I’ve ever read. I felt completely swept up in this eerie world of salt, sea and glittering dresses. I thought it was a pretty excellent take on the Twelve Dancing Princesses story with plenty of twists and turns I didn’t see coming. I really enjoyed all the characters, especially Annaleigh and Verity. I did have a little bit of a hard time keeping track of the sisters, but that’s was definitely a me problem. It did move a bit slower at times, but I still found myself intrigued and interested in where the story was headed. I happened to read this during a very rainy week which really enhanced my experience with this book so I recommend that for extra atmosphere. I very much enjoyed this story and I’m excited to read the next book!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, and Death of parent
deebsdan's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
read this back in like.. 2021 and loved it then, love it still now. i love me a retelling of my favorite barbie movie, in fantasy thriller version even, which is the best i could’ve gotten
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death of parent, and Death
strawbimoon's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Gaslighting, Body horror, Child death, and Death