You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by fyri
The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
The ending was very nice, but the journey there felt like it dragged, though I speculate that's just because I didn't love the characters.
I was turned off almost immediately by the storyteller speaking in an annoyed tone telling me / a child to "Oh, stop fidgeting!" but I tried to give it the benefit of doubt that maybe I was being too harsh. Perhaps I have an unknown case of rejection sensitive dysphoria, but hearing it and several other annoyed interjections to the child/ren listening to the story made me really angry, like "This grandma has no idea what ADHD kids need and maybe even hates children in general." In that way, it felt ableist, I guess? Ignorant and infuriating in the very least for me.
The rest was okay, but I remember all the "mature" characters seemed to have this similar way of handling things/each other. I mean, it's realistic, but I dislike when people are like that, so there's my vote. The characters did have their good qualities too, and the ending was really nice, as I mentioned. The concept and magic system was fresh as well. But I never fell in love with any character, so it was a trudge to finish. I had a desire to DNF at halfway, but I was determined to see it through.
I was turned off almost immediately by the storyteller speaking in an annoyed tone telling me / a child to "Oh, stop fidgeting!" but I tried to give it the benefit of doubt that maybe I was being too harsh. Perhaps I have an unknown case of rejection sensitive dysphoria, but hearing it and several other annoyed interjections to the child/ren listening to the story made me really angry, like "This grandma has no idea what ADHD kids need and maybe even hates children in general." In that way, it felt ableist, I guess? Ignorant and infuriating in the very least for me.
The rest was okay, but I remember all the "mature" characters seemed to have this similar way of handling things/each other. I mean, it's realistic, but I dislike when people are like that, so there's my vote. The characters did have their good qualities too, and the ending was really nice, as I mentioned. The concept and magic system was fresh as well. But I never fell in love with any character, so it was a trudge to finish. I had a desire to DNF at halfway, but I was determined to see it through.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gaslighting
Minor: Ableism, Mental illness
Other mention that the narrator calling the madwoman mad was ableist, and how it talks about and treats her. I'd say dementia might be something to trigger warning for as well.
I felt uncomfortable as an ADHDer with the "Storyteller" sections that often scolded a child (us, the listener) for "asking" logical questions or "fidgeting".