A review by aardwyrm
Saint Death's Daughter by C.S.E. Cooney

adventurous dark emotional funny lighthearted mysterious slow-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

Cooney's prose is rich on the scale of croquembouche and should be treated accordingly. The prose and general structure walk a tightrope that passes over twee and saccharine, and there are occasional stumbles, but the overall effect is worth it. The book is the epitome of "no plot, just vibes" for nigh on 500 pages despite having a few vague throughlines. The feeling of being a fourteen year old goth listening to The Black Parade just before falling asleep. There aren't characters so much as beautiful paper dolls with clever joints being puppeted across a stage made of pitch-black cotton candy.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Ableism, Blood, Cultural appropriation, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Abandonment, Body horror, Self harm, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Xenophobia, Alcohol, Animal death, Child abuse, Grief, Murder, Violence, and War