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daniella84 's review for:
The Gifts That Bind Us
by Caroline O'Donoghue
Thank you to the publisher for providing an ARC to review!
This instalment was definitely darker than book 1, with the beginning especially focusing a lot on the dynamic between the 4 protagonists as they go into their last year of high school. O'Donoghue does a great job of creating teenage characters feel realistic in that they can be unlikeable/bratty at times but you still really feel for them. I did still find the social commentary about religion in Ireland to be interesting, but the events made me a lot angrier than they did in book 1 (not in terms of it being bad, but just being a bit too real especially as I don't usually read contemporaries for this reason). I was hoping that this was going to go more into the ways in which Maeve's relationships with her friends and with Roe can be toxic at times but sadly that didn't happen. Maeve also didn't seem to grow much as a character - in some ways I liked that she was still selfish and melodramatic, but I would have liked to see her taking a bit more accountability for her actions. Overall a solid read but not sure if I will continue with the series!
CW: self-harm, trans/homophobia, religious trauma
This instalment was definitely darker than book 1, with the beginning especially focusing a lot on the dynamic between the 4 protagonists as they go into their last year of high school. O'Donoghue does a great job of creating teenage characters feel realistic in that they can be unlikeable/bratty at times but you still really feel for them. I did still find the social commentary about religion in Ireland to be interesting, but the events made me a lot angrier than they did in book 1 (not in terms of it being bad, but just being a bit too real especially as I don't usually read contemporaries for this reason). I was hoping that this was going to go more into the ways in which Maeve's relationships with her friends and with Roe can be toxic at times but sadly that didn't happen. Maeve also didn't seem to grow much as a character - in some ways I liked that she was still selfish and melodramatic, but I would have liked to see her taking a bit more accountability for her actions. Overall a solid read but not sure if I will continue with the series!
CW: self-harm, trans/homophobia, religious trauma