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honeyvenom's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Dementia, Stalking, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Medical content and Abortion
hollispaige's review against another edition
3.25
The ideas were good, but the most interesting characters/plot lines were the older flashback parts (and those were few and far between). I found the main character boring at best and the final ending to be infuriating.
Graphic: Death, Kidnapping, and Death of parent
Moderate: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, and Abortion
lianavalente's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Graphic: Child death, Suicide, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent
Moderate: Mental illness, Toxic relationship, and Abandonment
Minor: Abortion and Pregnancy
amandasbookreview's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
“Everyone around here talks about the cape like it exists for the sole purpose of either killing or blessing them. Curses or Mermaids. They forget…” She sipped the vodka, willing it to stay down. “It’s all about the mothers.”
There is a lot happening in this story. It is about multiple generations of women who endure trauma and can’t escape a family curse. It all starts with one mother who would do anything, even kill, to keep her children. But is that really what happens? At first, I thought I knew where this story was headed but I am not going to lie the last quarter of the book did lose me a little bit. The finale of the book is heartwrenching, and I would be lying if I said I didn’t cry–because I totally did. But the portion before the finale could have used a little polishing. It just didn’t flow as well as the rest of the story.
Many people will hate the different timelines and perspectives but I loved it. It really dove into the inner workings of the mother-daughter relationships within this single family. The quote above states, “It’s all about the mothers.”–and it is so true. We watch Meredith go from unsure and broken from being in a terrible marriage, not being able to connect with her mother, and doubting her abilities as a mother to knowing precisely what to do and to heal the trauma of multiple generations. This book is wonderfully gothic and eerie and I was not disappointed! I definitely plan to read more of Katrina Monroe!
Graphic: Child death, Death, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Abandonment