The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! đ
uncreativeoops's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
I was expecting the body horror, but not body horror mixed with so many emotions it was WILD.
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Death, Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Confinement, Gore, Medical content, Physical abuse, Torture, and Violence
Minor: Sexual assault, Rape, Sexism, and Sexual violence
kaiyakaiyo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
it got to the point where the sensorial detail even became repetitive; blood = rubies, entrails = coils/ribbons, bones = baby teeth⌠we get it! tons of words used over & over to the point where it almost felt like copy/paste. for a book so short it shouldnât have been hard to come up with a word to replace âbathyalâ instead of saying it over & overÂ
neither of the leads were interesting. we were on the cusp of so many interesting details about âmermaidâ lore, about human reanimation, the magical universe they are in, but the author chose to squander that on pages and pages of describing trees and skin and teeth. the romance had potential to be interesting, but again⌠the author chose to focus on how everything smelled and tasted for some reasonÂ
also this was an extremely loose âfairytale retellingâ; I was personally okay with that, but donât come in expecting anything detailed in that regard. Khaw doesnât really go into detail about anything that isnât a texture or a tasteÂ
if style over substance is your jam, this may be for you! it is firmly not mine so 2 stars trending downward. I had a similar complaint with Nothing But Blackened Teeth, so I think this author is just on the Donât Read list for me :/ kernels of really interesting but ultimately unrealized premise seem to be the lay of the land. spent the whole book waiting for Khaw to get into the story only for there not to be a story atÂ
Graphic: Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Kidnapping, Gore, Child death, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Cannibalism, Miscarriage, and Child abuse
r_o_s_e's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Blood, Death, Kidnapping, Misogyny, and Murder
Moderate: Confinement, Child death, Medical content, and Torture
Minor: Sexual assault, Miscarriage, Cannibalism, and Dysphoria
kelskiiz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Child death, Death, Cannibalism, Gore, Body horror, and Medical content
Moderate: Sexual assault and Confinement
hereticburger's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Cannibalism, Murder, and Gore
Minor: Sexual assault
kamiho'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Gore and Violence
Moderate: Sexual assault
alexandratheroux's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
This short novel is so engrossing and original and sucks you in very quickly. The author uses very flowery prose to make gruesome and vicious acts feel magical. Though at times their word choices felt less like an artistic choice and almost like showing off.
Recommended for fans of dark fairytales. Not recommended for folks with weak stomachs.Â
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Sexual assault
virgilsinferno's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Gore and Child death
Moderate: Kidnapping, Domestic abuse, and Miscarriage
Minor: Sexual assault
mermaidsherbet's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Cannibalism, Murder, Medical content, Child death, Death, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Miscarriage, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Rape, Abandonment, Death of parent, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship
emimli's review against another edition
2.0
My biggest gripe with this book is that the ending seemed very rushed and didnât fit with the overall atmosphere of the story. It also felt very unearned. Iâm not a fan of deus-ex-machina style endings where the central conflict is solved using a completely new, previously unmentioned plot/world/character element, which is unfortunately exactly what happens here.Â
Additionally, from a technical standpoint, Khawâs writing style is pretty unbearable. Her prose reads like she just discovered the synonym tool in Microsoft Word. Itâs overwrought to the point of being nonsensical at times.
The love story at the centre of this book was my favourite part, but even that needed to be built up much more.
Overall, there are some cool ideas in here, but the execution was sorely lacking.
Graphic: Violence, Body horror, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Medical content, Child abuse, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Animal death, Confinement, Kidnapping, Sexism, Sexual violence, and Torture