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chuckstafer's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The premise of this novel sounded very interesting (cult living on an island after they ran away from some apocalypse. Girl sees something she shouldn't which starts a chain reaction of revolt and rebellion to reveal what really happened and why the cult started fresh on the island), but ultimately the story just fell flat for me.
The plot was nothing original, even though it did flash some new ideas every once in a while. I think this novel was more of an exploration of the trauma that adults can inflict on their children, both intended and unintended, and how these same children will fight back eventually. The continued implied instances of rape, incest, abuse, and misogyny did have me shocked/appalled a few times, but ultimately those incidents were not enough to completely save this story for me.
This was not a bad story or anything, it just did not hook me as I was hoping it would and did not feel original enough to really stand out either.
The plot was nothing original, even though it did flash some new ideas every once in a while. I think this novel was more of an exploration of the trauma that adults can inflict on their children, both intended and unintended, and how these same children will fight back eventually. The continued implied instances of rape, incest, abuse, and misogyny did have me shocked/appalled a few times, but ultimately those incidents were not enough to completely save this story for me.
This was not a bad story or anything, it just did not hook me as I was hoping it would and did not feel original enough to really stand out either.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Incest, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, and Sexual harassment
indiaj's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
3.0
Very disturbing themes - serious trigger warnings! With such a shocking storyline, this book captured my attention and was certainly thought-provoking. It started off a bit slowly but built momentum by the halfway point. Unfortunately it all fizzled out to an anti-climactic ending which I thought was a rather depressing cop-out - I was hoping for a more uplifting resolution!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Pedophilia, and Rape
Very disturbing themes - serious trigger warnings! With such a shocking storyline, this book captured my attention and was certainly thought-provoking. It started off a bit slowly but built momentum by the halfway point. Unfortunately it all fizzled out and to an anti-climactic ending which I thought was a rather depressing cop-out - I was hoping for a more uplifting resolution!holyteeth's review
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
I have very mixed feelings on this book.
I devoured it. Finished the whole thing in less than a day. The writing style was engaging, and I was really, really curious to see where the plot was going. The answer is... nowhere much.
THE PROS:
I enjoyed the world building. I was immersed in it quite easily, without too much exposition, but by being gently enveloped in it through the context itself. Very well done. To me most of it was solid and made sense. The way people behaved was very neatly tied in to the society they lived in and I could tell exactly the ways it had influenced them and why they did most things they did.
The characters were enjoyable and easy to love, and I found myself deeply invested in their stories. It was a difficult read, absolutely, considering the subject matter, but I found it handled mostly with thoughtfulness and an approach to children characters I don' t often see from books of this nature.
The handling of a child's POV in general was well done. I often found myself sharing in their joy and enjoying the way they viewed the world, which made it all the more effective when I was ripped out of it by adult understanding of what was unfolding. I especially enjoyed the approach to how the teens and tweens viewed puberty- almost like a horror novel in the physicality of it.
THE CONS(?):
Starting from the simplest things: This book is difficult to read if you're a disabled person, which I am. This is not a judgement of the book as much as it is a warning to other disabled people. In the context of the society portrayed, the way disabled children and the concept of disability is approached makes a lot of sense, and ties in with the rest of the themes. It's still difficult to read about as a disabled person, so I want to have it out there.
Most of the characters had the same voices regardless of whose POV it was, which made it difficult to keep track of who was who, especially early in the book with so many names being thrown around and so many characters having the same last names. It could have definitely benefited from some more differation between voices.
There was virtually, in my opinion, no character development. All characters, by the end of the book or of themselves, were pretty much psychologically/mentally at almost the exact place they started, just more dead or traumatized.
And the biggest one... what was the point? Don't get me wrong, like I said, I enjoyed the story. But it seemed to rapidly jump back and forth between hopeful and pessimistic, and by the end I was left feeling... almost a little robbed. Maybe that was the point, now that I think about it.But after reading a whole book, watching those girls fighting tooth and nail to make their lives better and help each other and develop community and love and live, it felt much like having the door shut in my face, to end the book with most of them dead, and the community worse off than before. It was such a harrowing story to read, and there was no reprieve from it. I suppose there's no reprieve from trauma and indoctrination for many. I'll be thinking about what this book was trying to say for a long time.
I devoured it. Finished the whole thing in less than a day. The writing style was engaging, and I was really, really curious to see where the plot was going. The answer is... nowhere much.
THE PROS:
I enjoyed the world building. I was immersed in it quite easily, without too much exposition, but by being gently enveloped in it through the context itself. Very well done. To me most of it was solid and made sense. The way people behaved was very neatly tied in to the society they lived in and I could tell exactly the ways it had influenced them and why they did most things they did.
The characters were enjoyable and easy to love, and I found myself deeply invested in their stories. It was a difficult read, absolutely, considering the subject matter, but I found it handled mostly with thoughtfulness and an approach to children characters I don' t often see from books of this nature.
The handling of a child's POV in general was well done. I often found myself sharing in their joy and enjoying the way they viewed the world, which made it all the more effective when I was ripped out of it by adult understanding of what was unfolding. I especially enjoyed the approach to how the teens and tweens viewed puberty- almost like a horror novel in the physicality of it.
THE CONS(?):
Starting from the simplest things: This book is difficult to read if you're a disabled person, which I am. This is not a judgement of the book as much as it is a warning to other disabled people. In the context of the society portrayed, the way disabled children and the concept of disability is approached makes a lot of sense, and ties in with the rest of the themes. It's still difficult to read about as a disabled person, so I want to have it out there.
Most of the characters had the same voices regardless of whose POV it was, which made it difficult to keep track of who was who, especially early in the book with so many names being thrown around and so many characters having the same last names. It could have definitely benefited from some more differation between voices.
There was virtually, in my opinion, no character development. All characters, by the end of the book or of themselves, were pretty much psychologically/mentally at almost the exact place they started, just more dead or traumatized.
And the biggest one... what was the point? Don't get me wrong, like I said, I enjoyed the story. But it seemed to rapidly jump back and forth between hopeful and pessimistic, and by the end I was left feeling... almost a little robbed. Maybe that was the point, now that I think about it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Incest, Pedophilia, Rape, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Alcoholism, Miscarriage, Sexism, and Suicide
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Abortion
chuckyinspace's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Terminal illness, Pregnancy, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
zoeeatsbooks's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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 punched me in the gut and then the tears started to flow. I think I’ll forever be on the beach with those girls.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Eating disorder, Incest, and Pedophilia
jgrady93's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, and Sexual violence
paguroidea's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Felt like more could have been said or expanded on with the themes, characters, and the world itself. Thankfully with all the CSA content less is said about it as well, it’s alluded to, not graphically detailed. It’s enough to piece together how all the girls and women are abused. The cult reminds me of FLDS.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, and Rape
theangrystackrat's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Sexual violence
zaiiify's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Pedophilia, and Rape
billcbentley's review
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Sexism, and Sexual assault