annemn 's review for:

The Lotus Shoes by Jane Yang

3.75

dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Honestly, I would have rated this 4 stars right up until the ending, which felt rushed, incomplete, and not really true to character. The rest of the story is sweet and has good character development. If you go into this story accepting that it is written in a very specific style and from a certain POV, it is highly enjoyable. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Suicide attempt, Death of parent

Moderate: Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Classism

In case you need to know if this has a happy ending before diving in:

Little Flower and Lingling both survive, though both come very close to dying right at the end, and both end up in what could be seen as hopeful situations for each, even if it’s not the ending I would have hoped for