Reviews tagging 'Religious bigotry'

Afterlove by Tanya Byrne

8 reviews

mel_j's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional hopeful sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

This was cute, but nothing special. It had some lovely quotes, but the relationship was too insta-lovey for me. They felt too focused on each other – I thought Ash was going to mourn the loss of her family more, but all she could think of was Poppy.

I did like the illustrations – the roses! The moths! – and I loved Esen and Dev.
Maybe I'm too old now for YA, though.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

bookcaptivated's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad medium-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? No

4.0

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

dazzle_spider_reader_1212's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

haileylouise's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging emotional funny slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I really enjoyed this book! I loved getting to read about a queer Guyanese MC and seeing how Ash navigates her life after meeting Poppy. It's definitely wholesome to see these two grow closer and grow to love each other throughout the fall and winter. In short, this is a lovely story about grief and love. 

I do wish that there was more of a fantasy element regarding the afterlife and the reapers. Ash is sort of just thrown in and does what she's told, mostly accepting the fact that she is a reaper and reaps whenever Deborah assigns someone to her. There is a lot of hush-hush talk about Deborah having some sort of authority and an even higher authority above her that created this reaping system. And it's very much a case of 'just don't do this or else' when Ash questions what would happen if she broke the rules. 

I also wish Deborah played a bigger role in this story! She did take on a sort of mother-like figure for the reaper girls but didn't do much beyond assignments and keeping up her guard around Ash.
I wish she did find out about Ash and Poppy because it would have caused a lot more tension and revealed a different part of her that we wouldn't have seen before. And it would let us explore more of the afterlife, seeing purgatory, where all of the souls go after traveling with Charon, etc.


Although the story was a bit slower-paced, the pacing really helped with the relationships being developed with Poppy, Dev, and Essen. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a sapphic romance with a lot of love and grief!
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

rainbowpridepin's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-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? No

4.75

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

frantically's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

The love story in this was absolutely adorable but the paranormal element fell flat for me, I wish it had been more developed.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

karapillar's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful sad fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

This book left me aching. I never wanted it to end. I smiled through so much of it, and I cried real tears more than once. The writing is unique but not annoying, and the story is tragically beautiful. The only complaint I have is that I didn’t read it earlier.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

fujo_cat's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

Oh my Gods, this was a good read. It's gay, it's wholesome, it made me emotional a few times and more than I'd like to admit
This is my second read of 2022 and it's a great way to start off the year! 💕

On a more serious note, this was a fantastic reading experience. In a way, it made me imagine how it must feel losing my current partner and it fucking hurts. It hurts so much it made me feel... I don't know, more at peace with the idea of it? It gave me closure, you could say :')

If death (or any of the trigger warnings in it) as a theme doesn't trigger you, then yes, I do recommend it a lot!! 🌈😤👌
Expand filter menu Content Warnings