arianna_magg 's review for:

Grey Dog by Elliott Gish

5.0

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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this was delightfully dark, gothic, and full of some of my favorite themes: feminine rage, human relationship to the more-than-human world, and queer longing. the very last few pages shocked me in that i did not expect, and i was left stunned. i could see, for some, how ada byrd might not be exactly a lovable character per se, but i found her story arc and character growth to be essential to illustrating the deconstruction of the societal confines of so-called femininity and emerging into the visceral wildness that the natural world and womanhood embody.