A review by sarah984
The Cipher by Kathe Koja

challenging dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I've been wanting to read this one for a while and it did not disappoint: nasty characters in nasty situations as everything spins out of control. It got a little repetitive for me near the end and the kindle edition had some annoying OCR errors but overall highly recommended to anyone who likes weird horror.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Ableism, Drug use, Eating disorder, Excrement, Vomit, Car accident, and Suicide attempt