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A review by thebakersbooks
The Mortal Sleep by Gregory Ashe
2.0
2/5 stars — romanticizes self-harm and a mutually destructive relationship
Disappointingly, I feel that the final installment of the Hollow Folk series took a turn from 'dark' to 'in love with its own darkness.' In an effort to avoid "cancel culture," I have a three-strikes policy when it comes to problematic stuff in books. I DNF'd this around the 60% mark because the series had been treading the line of some unfortunate stereotypes already, and then this book expanded on those themes. I'm giving it two stars instead of one because the writing—the prose itself as well as the story structure—is still very solid.
My list of "strikes" is as follows (beware spoilers):Strike 1: With the reveal that Ginny had become corrupted by Lady and Urho, all the major/recurring Native American characters in the series are bad guys. Further, even sympathetic characters sometimes say "Indian" instead of using a more appropriate term, and minority characters are sometimes referenced by race (see: the Crow boy, for example). Strike 2: Vie self-destructs and leaves his relationship with Austin for one with Emmett. Note that this isn't me being upset that Vie didn't end up with the love interest I preferred (and I don't know if Emmett is endgame since I didn't finish the book); as I noted in reviews of earlier books, Vie's relationship with Austin was for the most part very healthy, whereas Vie and Emmett both note that they aren't good for each other. They're violent, manipulative, and not always very solid on consent. Which brings me to Strike 3: A romanticized portrayal of self-harm. This is something Vie has struggled with in previous books, but now the narrative has used it as a way to bring Emmett and Vie together. It's clear the whole situation is unhealthy, but their acceptance and encouragement of each others' self-destructive sides is presented as a gesture of love.
I won't be changing my reviews/ratings of the first three books because I enjoyed them, but I would no longer recommend this series.
Disappointingly, I feel that the final installment of the Hollow Folk series took a turn from 'dark' to 'in love with its own darkness.' In an effort to avoid "cancel culture," I have a three-strikes policy when it comes to problematic stuff in books. I DNF'd this around the 60% mark because the series had been treading the line of some unfortunate stereotypes already, and then this book expanded on those themes. I'm giving it two stars instead of one because the writing—the prose itself as well as the story structure—is still very solid.
My list of "strikes" is as follows (beware spoilers):
I won't be changing my reviews/ratings of the first three books because I enjoyed them, but I would no longer recommend this series.