pamela22's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
What a moving novel. The Batavia shipwreck and its aftermath have long interested me.
Kidd cleverly interweaves a contemporary storyline (1989) with that of the Batavia setting sail. Most of the historical setting is life on board the sailing ship with the last two hours covering the shipwreck and its aftermath.
Both tales have child protagonists as the focal points. And their tales have interconnections that steadily weave closer and closer, with deft touches of magical realism.
I appreciated how Kidd avoided melodrama, making the target more poignant and less sensational. Disturbing but not black.
Kidd cleverly interweaves a contemporary storyline (1989) with that of the Batavia setting sail. Most of the historical setting is life on board the sailing ship with the last two hours covering the shipwreck and its aftermath.
Both tales have child protagonists as the focal points. And their tales have interconnections that steadily weave closer and closer, with deft touches of magical realism.
I appreciated how Kidd avoided melodrama, making the target more poignant and less sensational. Disturbing but not black.
rachaelsreadsandreviews's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
kimbui's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
kati_armstrong's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
The story was really slow in the first half but picked up after that. Compelling despite the characters not being very likeable.
billyjepma's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
There’s a lot to like here—striking prose, sharp characterizations, vibes so potent you can feel them sticking on your skin—but it ultimately didn’t work for me as much as I wanted. It’s a very cruel book, for one, with more violence than I expected (that’s on me for going into this without knowing anything about it), which I can usually stomach without a problem. But the cruelty didn’t have the teeth it needed to leave a mark—it’s all blunt and brutal and lacks the intentionality I look for. What’s the violence saying? How does it frame or reframe the themes and characters? I kept looking for a moment to make everything click into place, but I never found it. I’m sure it’s there somewhere, but for whatever reason, it never materialized for me.
The dual storylines have potential, and the structure of the chapters does an admirable job of bouncing between the two timelines. Some moments had me by the throat and used the back-and-forth pacing to keep me reading longer than planned. Those moments are the exception, though, as I usually gravitated toward the 1989 story, where Kidd’s characterizations are the strongest, and the narrative has the most momentum and stakes. I kept waiting for the two stories to converge, but they didn’t, at least not in a way that satisfied me. They share themes, sure, but when the themes are this broad and, honestly, kind of basic, it left me cold. There’s enough good here that I can’t go lower than a three-star rating, but suffice it to say, this one wasn’t for me.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Death, Grief, Physical abuse, and Death of parent
Moderate: Murder, Abandonment, Stalking, Animal death, Violence, Bullying, Classism, Child death, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, and Cannibalism
normal_eggs's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
nschellhas's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.5
chezzreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
jkinkadeblack's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-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
geegee_sunshine's review against another edition
slow-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
3.5