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businesswife's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
THIS BOOK SLAPS. This is a book about a very very cursed/ haunted island in the Philippines. The island is discovered by Hollywood execs and they come to the island to make a series ghost hunting and more. They also find Alon, the only local who is not scared of the island, and is even paid by the government as a protector.
The viewpoint of the book is Alon who is so used to the island and is not phased by anything that happens throughout the book. The Hollywood execs are idiots and do everything you would expect while Alon just tries to keep them alive the best he can.
Spoilers for the romance:Alon also has a very sweet budding romance with Chase, one of the producers sons, this does not go all the way and they don't really go through with anything. But they are adorable and Alon protects him through the book
The viewpoint of the book is Alon who is so used to the island and is not phased by anything that happens throughout the book. The Hollywood execs are idiots and do everything you would expect while Alon just tries to keep them alive the best he can.
Spoilers for the romance:
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Car accident
Minor: Racism, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, and Colonisation
gnarly_cinnamonroll's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
I definitely enjoyed this bit- it was refreshing to get to read a book based in Filipino lore/mythology. It didn’t bother me that the Tagalog want always directly translated as you can figure out what Alon is saying contextually. I enjoyed the LGBT aspect of the book however I felt that the relationship between Alon and Chase didn’t make much sense to me beyond surface level interactions. I wish that there had been more time with the two characters developing a more extensive/cleaned out environment.
I enjoyed how the side characters were given nicknames that feels real as to how we may refer to b people by monikers in our internal dialogue. The descriptions of the environment were riveting and kept me hooked. I wished I had felt more connected to Alon who feels more like a neutral narrator telling a story than the protagonist of the novel.However, that may be intentional since we learn who Tatay is and Alon’s connection to them.
Overall I enjoyed the plot twists, descriptions, and mythology, but found myself c wanting deeper characters development and relationships.
I enjoyed how the side characters were given nicknames that feels real as to how we may refer to b people by monikers in our internal dialogue. The descriptions of the environment were riveting and kept me hooked. I wished I had felt more connected to Alon who feels more like a neutral narrator telling a story than the protagonist of the novel.
Overall I enjoyed the plot twists, descriptions, and mythology, but found myself c wanting deeper characters development and relationships.
Graphic: Addiction, Drug use, Gun violence, Sexual violence, Violence, Stalking, Murder, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
ofbooksandechos's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Body horror, Death, and Gun violence
Moderate: Animal death, Murder, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Racism, Sexual violence, Grief, Car accident, and Death of parent
noahsingh's review against another edition
fast-paced
4.0
Graphic: Gun violence and Racism
Moderate: Vomit and Colonisation
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment
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