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geesreadingcorner's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Animal death, Medical content, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
astilbe_225'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
I picked this book up on a whim, because the cover looked really pretty and the synopsis was interesting. And I was… disappointed. I don’t even know where I should start with this review, so I’m just going to start off with what I liked.
I’m going to refer to Monster as… Well, Monster, and the young girl simply as “the girl” for the sake of a spoiler free review.
I loved how we found out more about Monster’s life, as she slowly remembered parts about her childhood. Despite this making me not like Monster’s character, I still enjoyed those moments in the book. Another thing I enjoyed about this book is that the writing is so simple, yet there are some sentences that really pack a punch. There’s some sentences that are absolutely beautiful to read.
Though, talking about the writing, there are also some negatives, which is where all the parts I didn’t like come in. With the writing being so simple, it felt repetitive. There were also some sentences that were incredibly weird, for example; “Beyond the diving gulls, where the cliff meets the pregnant sky”, which is on the second page. What is this supposed to mean???
Another thing that really threw me off was the ending. It was incredibly weird. The girl, during the book, was hinted to be young. It feels wrong to have that as an ending for a girl that seemed to be 10-13, and overall very naive. When I got to the part when the girl walked to the clinic, I immediately wanted to stop reading, but I didn’t because it made sense to just finish the book then. I skipped over a lot of pages that I just… didn’t want to read. You may argue that because the girl is very naive that’s why she would do that, but I don’t even get why the author would write this as an ending. It just feels so wrong.
Overall; Simple writing, which was sometimes beautiful but sometimes had weird sentences. I found Monster annoying, and I never really found her likeable. I’m not even sure what to feel about the other girl. Ending was incredibly weird.
Final Rating; 1.5 stars.
// Pre Review Thoughts [SPOILERS]
i never thought i would read a book when a 10-13 year old (probably, it’s inferred but never stated. she’s definitely a child, though) would try to impregnate herself. and succeed.
this book was actually kinda good but the ending ruined it. never again. i’m going to read shadow of the gods rn to cope.
I’m going to refer to Monster as… Well, Monster, and the young girl simply as “the girl” for the sake of a spoiler free review.
I loved how we found out more about Monster’s life, as she slowly remembered parts about her childhood. Despite this making me not like Monster’s character, I still enjoyed those moments in the book. Another thing I enjoyed about this book is that the writing is so simple, yet there are some sentences that really pack a punch. There’s some sentences that are absolutely beautiful to read.
Though, talking about the writing, there are also some negatives, which is where all the parts I didn’t like come in. With the writing being so simple, it felt repetitive. There were also some sentences that were incredibly weird, for example; “Beyond the diving gulls, where the cliff meets the pregnant sky”, which is on the second page. What is this supposed to mean???
Another thing that really threw me off was the ending. It was incredibly weird. The girl, during the book, was hinted to be young. It feels wrong to have that as an ending for a girl that seemed to be 10-13, and overall very naive. When I got to the part when the girl walked to the clinic, I immediately wanted to stop reading, but I didn’t because it made sense to just finish the book then. I skipped over a lot of pages that I just… didn’t want to read. You may argue that because the girl is very naive that’s why she would do that, but I don’t even get why the author would write this as an ending. It just feels so wrong.
Overall; Simple writing, which was sometimes beautiful but sometimes had weird sentences. I found Monster annoying, and I never really found her likeable. I’m not even sure what to feel about the other girl. Ending was incredibly weird.
Final Rating; 1.5 stars.
// Pre Review Thoughts [SPOILERS]
this book was actually kinda good but the ending ruined it. never again. i’m going to read shadow of the gods rn to cope.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Pregnancy
Moderate: Bullying and Suicide
For the suicide warning, a young child sees a woman jump off a bridge. Monster was bullied in school.