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kell_xavi's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
3.0
But then, the ways of men are not the ways of gods, are they?
An inventive tale told in the form of dialogue, or interviews, from which the main character’s lines are absent. She searches for the truth, and those she speaks to are all evading, ignoring, or telling only disjointed fragments of a story, which slowly forms a shape that may or may not be real. The trouble, for me, is that the mystery of her locket is solved by the halfway point, and the tugging of strings that hold the city together makes less of a bang. I was impressed with the unique format, and the way it’s used to provide both history and present context; I was regrettably neither convinced nor satisfied with the content.
An inventive tale told in the form of dialogue, or interviews, from which the main character’s lines are absent. She searches for the truth, and those she speaks to are all evading, ignoring, or telling only disjointed fragments of a story, which slowly forms a shape that may or may not be real. The trouble, for me, is that the mystery of her locket is solved by the halfway point, and the tugging of strings that hold the city together makes less of a bang. I was impressed with the unique format, and the way it’s used to provide both history and present context; I was regrettably neither convinced nor satisfied with the content.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Violence, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Confinement, Death, Blood, and Cannibalism
sporemiette's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-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
3.0
the dialogue - only writing is interesting in theory but in practice it fell flat for me. this feels less like a book and more like the script of a visual novel. because you never hear the perspective of Manet there's no sense of agency. It feels like she's following a quest line rather than solving a mystery by herself. The mystery itself was also painfully obvious. Still, I liked the world building. I wish the author had written this book in a more conventional way, I might have liked it better.
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcoholism, Body horror, Death, Mental illness, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abandonment, Alcohol, War, and Classism