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georgia_irl's review against another edition
1.5
I really wanted to like this book, and I did really enjoy the begining. Unfortunately my first thought after finishing it was "thank God that's over".
As the book went on it became clearer and clearer the disdain the author has for women. The smelling of the "oestrus" in the second half of the book was incredibly off putting, and almost every female character was a prostitute. This coupled with the language used whenever there is a female character on the page, did not make for a good reading experience.
It also felt like it needed a really good edit. There's a fantastic world in there, and some amazing ideas. Unfortunately this is let down by the uneven pacing and cluttered plot.
As the book went on it became clearer and clearer the disdain the author has for women. The smelling of the "oestrus" in the second half of the book was incredibly off putting, and almost every female character was a prostitute. This coupled with the language used whenever there is a female character on the page, did not make for a good reading experience.
It also felt like it needed a really good edit. There's a fantastic world in there, and some amazing ideas. Unfortunately this is let down by the uneven pacing and cluttered plot.
Moderate: Misogyny
nickwwelch's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
The images of the first pages absolutely grabbed me. But what started off as a prelude to an interesting world was increasing undermined by weak character work.
Also, an increasingly pervasive sense of misogyny and the denigration of sex workers was such a huge turn-off and made it so hard to turn myself over to the story.
But, there a few really interesting scenes and well written passages where the promise of the opening chapter shines through. Finding out the title of the Master’s book? The stuff of nightmares, and I loved every second of that. Also, the cadence of a lot of the dialogue is so damn satisfying.
Also, an increasingly pervasive sense of misogyny and the denigration of sex workers was such a huge turn-off and made it so hard to turn myself over to the story.
But, there a few really interesting scenes and well written passages where the promise of the opening chapter shines through. Finding out the title of the Master’s book? The stuff of nightmares, and I loved every second of that. Also, the cadence of a lot of the dialogue is so damn satisfying.
Graphic: Misogyny
kiramke's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
I checked this out to test the theory that I'd enjoy any story read to me by Kobna. And that did carry me through quite a ways, perhaps too far. I should have known, it's a giant red flag when every book blurb is about something that doesn't happen until the end - almost as if nothing before then is very interesting.
The writing is all over the place, and it seems like the intent was fantasy but grosser and with more rape threats. There's something about toxic male bullshit that doesn't know it's toxic male bullshit, that thinks it's justified, explainable, sympathetic. It's boring.
DNF
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment
wemilyebb's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Animal death, Death, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Body horror and Misogyny
ona06's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Minor: Child abuse, Misogyny, Sexual assault, and Death of parent
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