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lucky_stars's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Genocide, Toxic relationship, and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Vomit and Dementia
lanid's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Death, and Alcohol
Minor: Gore, Self harm, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Vomit, and Grief
theatrix's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Alcohol
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Self harm, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Trafficking, Grief, Cannibalism, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment
clarabooksit's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Trafficking, Grief, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Colonisation
Moderate: Animal death, Genocide, Gore, Blood, Cannibalism, Stalking, and Injury/Injury detail
miak2's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This vast city, the beasts that come and go, all of this, is a secret. No one knows why they come or why they go, why they meet or why they leave. These are all enormous, distant mysteries. p. 231
I...don't know how to feel about this book? Similar to Kafka on the Shore, parts of it felt really profound and others were just...there. At the end, it made for a somewhat dissatisfying reading experience, solely because I wanted a lot more than what it gave me.
The good: I really enjoyed the parts that focused on the beasts, which is good since that's the whole point of the book. Each chapter focused on a single type of beast. They started with a description of the beast, moved to the narrator's current story, then showed how her tale was interwoven with the titular beast. I really liked this narrative format, especially with how the end of each chapter began by recounting the same factoids about the beast as in the beginning of the chapter, but moved on to provide some deeper insight on their experiences or role in society. Super neat.
The 'meh': Everything else? I didn't get very engrossed with the main character's story, in part due to Ge's choppy writing style which I personally didn't love. The dialogue felt incredibly unnatural at times, and the characters were confusing. The underlying plot, too, was also really confusing. I'm still not 100% sure what role all these characters played, and as a result don't think many of them added all that much to the overall plot.
I also just wished that the author had narrowed her scope just a bit. It tried to take on a LOT within 230 pages, to varying degrees of success. As a result, I'm not quite sure what moral I'm meant to be walking away with - although this is due in part to all the aspects named above. At the end of the day, I just wanted more from this book, which had such a neat premise but only scratched the surface. It'd make for a killer TV miniseries, though, if the character stuff could be sorted out.
Also, as warning, the book is rather callous with its mention of suicide and, to a lesser extent, rape. They are meant to be presented similar to how a textbook would, so I don't think the author was negligently tactless, but it could definitely be triggering.
Graphic: Suicide and Alcohol
Moderate: Death and Toxic relationship
rorikae's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
The story centers on the unnamed narrator who is writing a book about the different beasts that inhabit her city. These beasts resemble humans in many ways but have other characteristics like gills or more than human abilities. Each section of the story explores a new beast type and the narrator's encounters with that particular type of beast. As she explores more beast types, she begins to learn more about herself and her past.
Ge presents a look at humanity through the ways that the characters interact with these so-called beasts. The story is colored by the narrator's history and experience with the beasts but this allows the reader to better understand her as she learns more about them. There were certain beasts that I found more interesting than others though I did appreciate how the character's story advanced through the different pieces. I will say that when I read the synopsis I expected more folkloric creatures whereas the beasts are more closely tied to humanity than to animals. The sections that I enjoyed the most were tied to the beasts that I found the most interesting. For example, the section on the flourishing beasts, which are the most unique creatures in the book, was my favorite section. This section also opened up a great deal about the narrator's relationship with her mother and began the process of diving deeper into the narrator's past.
This story is short and a quick read. I am interested in what Ge writes next as I think she utilizes the speculative aspects of the story in unique ways to explore human nature.
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol