Reviews with content warning for Child death - The Gloaming

My comfort genre is magical realism and this was exactly that. The story broke my heart in the sweetest way possible. And warmed my heart. A wonderful story about love and loss and family.

And the ending? The story being told by their dead little brother? I’m done. 💔

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thejuliette's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced

4.0

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toadlett's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful 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? Yes

4.0

really beautifully written exploration of family and mythology and grief and how all these things warp us and how we can grow through and past them. also super relatable as someone who grew up in a small highlands village!

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rosedtide's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

At times this story hit very close to home..

the chapters are all fairly short so it was easy to pick up and read a few here and there while on the go and the story was very gripping so often it was hard to put down.

a few of the conflicts in the book feel unsolved but i think thats just due to the style of storytelling, the perspective felt weird to me too all the way until the end when it was exained and everything kind of fell into place.

it was a sweet melancholy story who's characters i wish i could have spent more time with and yet i know that leaving it at that is for the best.

would absolutely recommend this book

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abbie_'s review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

If you're looking for something beautiful, mysterious and a little bit magical, then consider The Gloaming as your next read! I read The Gracekeepers by Kirsty Logan a few years ago and honestly I was kind of underwhelmed, I remember I thought there were too many perspectives for me to care deeply about the characters. Well The Gloaming is touted as a 'spiritual prequel to the Gracekeepers', which I just?? That doesn't make sense to me, but I think maybe I've just forgotten all of the details of The Gracekeepers and I'm missing some connection. But fear not, if you haven't read it, just read The Gloaming instead for a gorgeous fairytale-esque tale with a precious f/f relationship!

Mara lives on an island, only accessible via fishing boat. Life there moves slowly and magic lingers in the air. When the inhabitants reach the end of their lives, they make the walk up to the cliff where their bodies turn to stone. There they stand, silent sentinels looking out towards the sea. Mara knows that's what's in store for her, along with her mother, father, sister Islay and little brother Bee. But when the sea turns against their family, Mara realises there is a world beyond her tiny island.

The story is told in a fragmented, non-linear structure, flitting back and forth between past and present. We hear about the family's life before and after the island, hear from every member of the family. The chapters are short and choppy, but it still manages to feel substantial. When I think back on the book now, which I listened to, as I write my review, it's not so much the story I remember, but the hypnotic atmosphere. The beautiful and enigmatic Pearl. The crumbling house the family lives in. The merciless sea which still holds a magnetic allure despite its cruelty. Logan draws everything together to evoke an irresistible sense of magic.

I think if you love the sea and you enjoy atmospheric books you should give this one a try, but be aware that there isn't that much plot. But if you can overlook that then sit back and let the magic of the island wash over you.

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