lisssy159's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Murder, Death, Child death, Child abuse, Violence, Torture, and Emotional abuse
herasrevenge88's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Incest, Torture, Suicide attempt, Religious bigotry, Suicide, Miscarriage, Violence, Gaslighting, Sexual violence, Mental illness, Child death, Adult/minor relationship, Gore, Drug abuse, Death, Body horror, Grief, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Eating disorder, Domestic abuse, Murder, Rape, Self harm, Injury/injury detail, Animal death, Pedophilia, Drug use, Confinement, Child abuse, and Blood
_teoeo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Suicide attempt, Violence, Child death, Animal cruelty, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Incest, Blood, Drug abuse, Sexual violence, Miscarriage, Murder, Rape, Suicide, and Torture
mangofandango's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Child death, Injury/injury detail, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Torture
Moderate: Miscarriage, Sexual assault, and Adult/minor relationship
sorry_imbooked's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Blood, Murder, Violence, Confinement, Self harm, Torture, Miscarriage, Injury/injury detail, Grief, Emotional abuse, Death, Child death, and Animal death
Moderate: Child death and Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Rape
rachelunabridged's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
~ ~ ~
On the isle of Altnaharra, Uncle and his young acolytes await the coming of Him, the snake from the sea.
~ ~ ~
My mind has been blown by Catriona Ward yet again! I've loved everything by her that I've read so far and had a hunch that this read would be equally fantastic. I'm not exaggerating when I say that this book exceeded all of my expectations. Even though I've been absolutely swamped with college classwork, I found myself sneaking in as much of this read as I could. Every time I had to put it down, the story stayed stuck in my head until I picked it up again.
Additionally, this book has one of the best opening chapters I've ever read. It hooked me right from the beginning, and Ward did a fantastic job building on that intrigue as the plot progressed. This was one of those reads where I found myself completely immersed in the events of the story and desperate to see how it was going to turn out. Unlike the other works I've read by this author, I was able to guess where this book was going, but it didn't make the experience of watching it unfold any less enjoyable, in a messed up kind of way.
When I started this review, I thought about not including a summary of the plot at all. I think that this book is best experienced with as little prior knowledge as possible, which is why I ultimately settled on the single sentence above. I will, however, let you know that this is a cult book. There is murder. There is intrigue. And it's a hell of a ride from start to finish. If any of those things sound enticing to you, you should give this a read.
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Suicide, Child abuse, Confinement, Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, and Violence
Moderate: Gaslighting, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Self harm, Sexual violence, and Torture
Minor: Kidnapping and War
trishfilet's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Thank you Net Galley for a copy in exchange for a review!
Graphic: Body horror, Murder, Child abuse, and Self harm
Moderate: Child death, Sexual assault, and Torture
sorcha_rosa's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Incest, Infertility, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Bullying, Pedophilia, and Death of parent