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newyork_lilt's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Racism, Torture, Vomit, Medical content, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
seethinglloron's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I have read a lot of shocking, gory, surreal, unsettling literature. I love shit that makes me want to turn away, to cringe, to stand up and walk away. I have never been so nauseous that I had to stop reading a book and watch a youtube video to take my mind off what I'd just read. I only do that when I wake up from nightmares where I'm being chased by unnaturally large spiders, or where there are bees so deep in my ears that those hoes are in my g-ddamn brain. This was incredible, and no one in my life can read it because reading this means knowing that Giddings has a industrial-size drill, and this novel aims right for the pupil and makes you watch in the mirror as it pushes and pushes, veins popping out with the strain. I forgot where I was while reading it. I felt my stomach turn over at the mundane cruelty of it, the terror of looking down the barrel of something evil that asks, would you tolerate what I can do to you if it meant you would be safe, happy, and fed for the rest of your life?
Beautiful prose. Babies screaming like melted glass, foaming lakes, nights as creatures.
I don't know what else to say. Don't read this in public. Hold your loved ones tight. Don't drink anything you didn't watch be poured. Don't trust anyone in a labcoat. Read this yesterday.
Graphic: Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Blood, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Death
samspur's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Very interesting dystopian premise. Lena drops out of college to pay family debts by working for a government research program.
Lena continued to endure these trials because of her devotion to her family. While I wish we would have got to know the characters a bit better, I really loved Lena, Charlie, and Deziree. I loved that Lena gave silly names for the people that worked at Lakewood. It caught me by surprise that the book change formats at times. There were parts in this book that had me ill (
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Racism, Medical content, and Murder
_egg_wash's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Chronic illness and Medical trauma
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Terminal illness, and Alcohol
Minor: Gun violence, Physical abuse, Excrement, and Vomit
snazzy10101's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Slavery, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
megelizabeth's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Death, Racism, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cancer, Misogyny, and Vomit
haileyhardcover's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Terminal illness, Blood, Dementia, Stalking, and Death of parent
Minor: Trafficking and Alcohol
balladofreadingqueer'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? No
4.0
It addresses themes of racism, family, poverty and friendship. It does not have a satisfying ending unfortunately, I wish that it had ended with a more clear description of what had happened.
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, and Blood
sarahdenn27's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Death, Gore, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail
kather_doc's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism