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mysimas's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Picked this one up under the mistaken assumption it was magical realism — Goodreads and at that time Storygraph both had it tagged as such… But it’s really just the story of a girl raised in a cult and brainwashed to believe and repeat certain things. There’s nothing in the book suggesting or even implying that the girl’s world actually includes those supernatural things…
Overall a readable, if dark character exploration. Freya and all abusers like her can go burn in hell.
Overall a readable, if dark character exploration. Freya and all abusers like her can go burn in hell.
I see people speaking out all the time in the outside world, though not as much as you’d think. They might intervene in a shop when a kid is getting slapped around, say, or if there’s a fight on the bus. But then they can walk home, if they are lucky enough not to get bloodied up. They can go to their group, who will agree with them, who will say, Yes, you were right. But we were the home, we were the group, and there was nowhere to go if you were on the wrong side of the invisible lines, if you were pushed out of the shoal, except out in the cold and the place where there were jobs and old hated families and whatever terrible things out there had made them come to Foxlowe in the first place.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, and Alcohol
comfortable_with_uncomfortable's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
0.5
Regarding the actual read: Difficult read due to writing style, changes in narration not clearly delineated and you could be several pages into the next chapter before you would know which perspective you were looking through. Several times I would go back and start the chapter over so I could keep a grasp on the story line (abysmally fractured though it was).
Regarding content matter: absolutely traumatizing and dark following this wretched little tale. A frighteningly accurate depiction of raising a child with no structure in a toxic environment and the eventual outcome of the mental instability of said child. This is a recipe for creating a psychopath. This book left me feeling physically ill after reading it and gave me nightmares for days. Even 12 months after reading it I am disconcerted by it and it leaves a heavy feeling in my soul. 10/10 do NOT recommend.
Regarding content matter: absolutely traumatizing and dark following this wretched little tale. A frighteningly accurate depiction of raising a child with no structure in a toxic environment and the eventual outcome of the mental instability of said child. This is a recipe for creating a psychopath. This book left me feeling physically ill after reading it and gave me nightmares for days. Even 12 months after reading it I am disconcerted by it and it leaves a heavy feeling in my soul. 10/10 do NOT recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Mental illness, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Abandonment
Off grid/ communal living/ cult