themelleh's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-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? Yes
4.0
I’m going to have to edit this when I’m more coherent but what an absolutely wild ride. It’s so dark and messy and absolutely different from what I usually read. It was also so beautiful and painful despite it’s darkness and the infuriatingness of Jaq’s devotion to Lily. The absolutely beauty of the sister-ship of our crew was magnificent. It’s quite the read.
I couldn’t stop reading. I devoured it in one sitting.
I couldn’t stop reading. I devoured it in one sitting.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore, Grief, Murder, Animal death, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Violence
thesapphiccelticbookworm's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Thank you to Netgalley and Bridget's Gate Press. LLC for a copy of this book.
Jaq and her girlfriend, Lily live on the ship Scylla, with an all female crew, lead by their captain, Lucinda.
They have no knowledge of their past, until a man is pulled aboard from the sea. The crew mysteriously gain back their memories and nothing will ever be the same again.
This is beautifully written story, with a great range of characters.
I wish it had been longer as I wanted to spend some more time with the characters and learn more of their back stories.
Looking forward to reading more of Knowles' work.
Jaq and her girlfriend, Lily live on the ship Scylla, with an all female crew, lead by their captain, Lucinda.
They have no knowledge of their past, until a man is pulled aboard from the sea. The crew mysteriously gain back their memories and nothing will ever be the same again.
This is beautifully written story, with a great range of characters.
I wish it had been longer as I wanted to spend some more time with the characters and learn more of their back stories.
Looking forward to reading more of Knowles' work.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Murder, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Minor: Infidelity, Grief, Homophobia, Religious bigotry, and Suicide
hailstorm3812's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- 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? Yes
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. It has a dark fairy tale vibe that was so much fun to float through. It has a kind of lyrical prose that really helps with removing the elements of reality and join the crew, regardless of their horrendous acts. We are supporting women's wrongs here. Jaq can be petty and jealous and murderous if she wants. That does include Lily since I love a toxic sapphic even though she really is quite mean sometimes. I did get a little nervous in the beginning that we were leaning into bisexual stereotypes but I think it is made clear that this is how Lily would always behave as a way to get to Jaq. I wish we had spent more time with the rest of the crew and gotten their stories. It's a really short books so I think we could have spent more time here. I also think a missed opportunity is not interrogating that they all died in groups of two. I wasn't super familar with the lore so it was very fun to dive into this mythology. I also loved the ending, even if the twist was a bit predictable. Overall I had a great time, and it is perfect for spooky season.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Lesbophobia, Death, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Minor: Body horror, Suicide attempt, Outing, Injury/Injury detail, Domestic abuse, Death, Sexual content, Sexism, and Physical abuse
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