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bek_p87'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? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and War
Moderate: Slavery
bhelena'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
3.25
1. a common issue in this author's writing but here perhaps the most egregious – characters just fail to react to life shattering events. in a way that doesn't read like prim upper-class manners or depressed apathy or resignation in the face of war. it just seems like oversight to add it in later.
2. several severe cases of natasha pulley sociopathic female side character we're meant to find sympathetic. iykyk.
3.
4.
5. the representation here feels bridgertonesque.
apologies, may the next one be great!
Graphic: War
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Slavery, Fire/Fire injury, and Colonisation
Minor: Sexual violence and Xenophobia
cateyeschloe's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Slavery, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Classism
Moderate: Child death, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Confinement and Blood
dananana's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Alcohol
cassandrat's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Graphic: Murder and War
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child death, and Rape
wardenred'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? Yes
2.5
It’s your life too; you might like to start giving a fuck what happens in it.
To be honest, I was enjoying this book a lot more before the story actually started. There was that long, slow beginning about the amnesiac protagonist adjusting to a life that didn't feel like his own, and there were so many interesting, sometimes beautifully nebulous things hinted at. The mysterious "epilepsy" epidemics, the weird alternate England occupied by France. Finally, Joe's trip to that weird lighthouse on the frozen edge of the world, the tortoises in the tavern, the coming of winter from the sea. The lighthouse parts were my absolute favorite. I was looking forward to just reading an entire book about lighthouse weirdness.
But then the entire time traveling plot started unfolding, and it was all dimension hopping and murders and naval warfare and convoluted politics. The way it was all laid out, with the random switching of POVs and times, just made my head ache. On top of that, once all that action started, I realized there wasn't a single character I could root for. I simply disliked them all. Even Joe, who'd had my sympathy in the earlier chapters.
I guess The Half-Life of Valery K was a fluke, and Natasha Pulley really isn't an author for me...
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Slavery, War, and Injury/Injury detail
augustar14's review
- 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? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, and Death of parent
quirkilybookish's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: War
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Slavery, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Child death, Sexual violence, Suicide, and Murder
cameronreads's review against another edition
4.0
Two half stars were taken off for me - one because the way that time travel was written, although the right way to make the story work, is the one way I hate for time travel to be written. I love it when time travel is more along the lines of what David Lewis theorised as possible, rather than time travellers having the ability to change the future from the past etc. Still, it made for the right kind of story, so only half a star off for that. A second half star off because I wanted just a bit more feeling out of the characters. I think the emotions they were feeling here were so big that they needed a bit more description or emphasis. I wanted to feel the emotions with the characters, and I just didn't really. Mostly I wanted to see more passion out of the main relationship in here, I think just a little more development could have really added to the impact.
Still, I loved this so much more than I expected to, and I would 100% recommend.
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cursing, Gun violence, Misogyny, Self harm, Grief, and Colonisation
Minor: Suicide, Torture, Vomit, and Alcohol
kavarnistka'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? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Death and War
Moderate: Slavery and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Child death, Rape, Suicide, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury