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bellabern's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-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? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Stalking, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death
colorwired's review against another edition
This book has an interesting premise but it moves so slowly that I found myself questioning whether I really liked it or not.
I was also very thrown off by The Boy That Lived trope that becomes glaringly present in the first quarter.
There are definitely parts that are dark and scary, but I somehow felt confined even though the story skips around the globe.
I didn’t finish this book because I didn’t want to do the work to plug through everything to get to the point.
I was very disappointed because I was initially very excited about this book.
I was also very thrown off by The Boy That Lived trope that becomes glaringly present in the first quarter.
There are definitely parts that are dark and scary, but I somehow felt confined even though the story skips around the globe.
I didn’t finish this book because I didn’t want to do the work to plug through everything to get to the point.
I was very disappointed because I was initially very excited about this book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Classism
Minor: Trafficking
callistag1's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
1.5
This is one of those books that had potential, had intrigue, and even had a compelling start, but it failed to keep that engagement throughout the book and quickly turned into a snooze fest where I was just wanting to get done with this book.
So, for the good part: The beginning was very good at getting you hooked... for a while. The settings and events that revolve around the introduced characters have a great set up, especially for Marlowe (and Eliza), Alice, and Charlie. Their meetings and the events they go through with learning about the two boys' powers and what the mysterious shadow man they are running from, with the help of Alice, to get to an institute that is meant to protect them and help them harness/control their powers gets you hooked.
But after that, the story goes downhill from there. I think it has to do with Alice being split up from the boys, but also there were a lot of things that just made this book feels flat. None of the other characters interested me much besides Jacob and Brynt. Despite how annoyingly long this book was, it felt like the characters got no development and we just saw them on a surface level because we were "told" more than "shown."
Speaking of how long this book was, at least a good 100 pages could have been lopped off, possibly more, because so much of it felt unnecessary. I say this because I remember so little of this book and I just finished reading it. Things felt repetitive at times to the point I just started skimming it, and it felt like everything from the beginning of the book was a waste of a start for a book that became so very boring.
Also, you can definitely tell this book is written by a man because practically every woman who is around Marlowe is hit with sudden 'maternal instincts,' which isn't how that works. And you also know this was written by a man because Eliza, a "minor" character who helped raise Marlowe, is shown to have deep maternal love for him and care, but when she has a miscarriage of her own baby, the book quite literally says, "And that was that."
I understand Eliza's baby wasn't conceived out of love, but for a character that cares for Marlowe the way she did to have no reaction at all from miscarrying is odd. Even if she didn't mourn the child she lost, you would think she could have had a negative response as this pain would have reminded her of the sexual trauma she went through. But that was just glossed over.
Also Alice's feelings weren't really looked at besides skimming he surface. She learns her mother, who was obviously mentally unwell and had been in an alyssum that she never visited, had been dead for seven years because no one contacted her when it happened. And she has barely any reaction. I wasn't expecting her to burst into tears, but this just felt like these things were more to shock the audience that do anything in terms of the character's response and lives.
Just want to say, if you do decide to read this book, I'd say read a physical or digital copy if you can and not listen to the audiobook. I was doing both, but I mostly read it because the audiobook was not for me. I didn't care for the narrator personality. Some of the accents he did were too thick, as if he was trying to hard, and it made it hard to understand what he was saying.
I don't think I'll be continuing this series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Blood, Police brutality, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Hate crime
lauren_miller's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
this book was the very definition of slow burn. slow characterization. slow plot. slow action. slower resolution. everything about it took its time, and yet, I found myself engaged the entire time. I really wish this were a standalone b/c the thought of two more long-ass books like this has me already exhausted, but I'm so desperate to know what happens to Alice and the kids that I don't think I'll have a choice... would I recommend? maybe. if you're a fan of Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell or a Sanderfan, you will probably blink at the length and dive headlong right in without a second thought. if you're looking for intensity, energy, and a fast pace, please move right along; this is not the one for you.
4.25 out of 5 stars, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4.25 out of 5 stars, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Body horror
salemrose's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
The first half of this book is agonizingly slow, then the second half goes so fast it's almost hard to keep up and feels rushed. There's very little dialogue and a very heavy emphasis on plot and the telling of events rather than a focus on who the characters are and what their inner lives are like. Once the book hits it's stride it's not terrible but it takes a solid 400 pages to get there and I personally don't think it's worth the wait. Overall not the worst thing I've ever read but definitely not for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Racism, and Police brutality
carizia's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, and Blood
Moderate: Racism
redsflicker's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I really liked the thought behind the book. Though the characters i think could have had more to them, and i really disliked the run on sentences. I appreciate what the writer was trying to do and i liked it. Not sure if i will read the other two books though because the run on sentences were driving me crazy. Also there is a crow on the cover but a crow was only referenced once.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Torture, and Blood
torie444's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Self harm, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Abandonment
mercourier's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Good writing, good plot twists and some good dark gory fighting. It's a thick but surprising book. The ending is really brutal though and if you don't think blood and gore this might not be the story for you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Violence
Minor: Classism
catch__up's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Gore, Miscarriage, Racism, Self harm, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Stalking, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury