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A review by filipa_maia
Intocável by Tahereh Mafi
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I kept seeing, throughout bookstagram people praising this book (and saga), so I built quite the expectation around it. Honestly, I'm a bit disappointed.
The story is so interesting, so different from the fantasy that I usually read, it had so much potential... for me, the writing ruined it. I understand that we are inside the mind of a girl who is being held prisoner because of her powers (and I really enjoy all the phrases that are crossed - those things that are only in her brain and she never says them out loud), but there are other things that bothered me a lot: the repetitions - I know that she keeps repeating things to herself, but you don't need to write them over and over again (we get it); the numbers - what the hell! I think this is the first time that I read a book in which the number are not written in full (I know that this is just a technicality, and as no interference in the story, but I don't like it).
Overall I think that, this could be such a better book if the story was written in a different way. Somehow, I don't understand Warner's obsession with Juliette (it makes no sense - he wants to use her as a weapon and at the same time wants her... so why did he kept her locked up, almost dying for so long?); I, definitely, don't trust Adam - he has the same amount of obsession for Juliette, but because he's hot, that's ok). Other thing I did not get is the "end of the world" plot twist: we are lead to believe that this is sort of a "mid-apocalyptic" scenario and, apparently, is all a big government conspiracy?
Well, I'm going to read the second book, hoping it will clear some of my doubts and I start liking this story a bit much. We'll see!
The story is so interesting, so different from the fantasy that I usually read, it had so much potential... for me, the writing ruined it. I understand that we are inside the mind of a girl who is being held prisoner because of her powers (and I really enjoy all the phrases that are crossed - those things that are only in her brain and she never says them out loud), but there are other things that bothered me a lot: the repetitions - I know that she keeps repeating things to herself, but you don't need to write them over and over again (we get it); the numbers - what the hell! I think this is the first time that I read a book in which the number are not written in full (I know that this is just a technicality, and as no interference in the story, but I don't like it).
Overall I think that, this could be such a better book if the story was written in a different way. Somehow, I don't understand Warner's obsession with Juliette (it makes no sense - he wants to use her as a weapon and at the same time wants her... so why did he kept her locked up, almost dying for so long?); I, definitely, don't trust Adam - he has the same amount of obsession for Juliette, but because he's hot, that's ok). Other thing I did not get is the "end of the world" plot twist: we are lead to believe that this is sort of a "mid-apocalyptic" scenario and, apparently, is all a big government conspiracy?
Well, I'm going to read the second book, hoping it will clear some of my doubts and I start liking this story a bit much. We'll see!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Torture and Sexual harassment
Minor: Animal death, Bullying, Animal cruelty, and Death of parent