august_ambrosia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
collins’ whimsical (but grounded when necessary) style of writing builds suspense and prompts you to ask questions while also not losing a wonderful storytelling vibe… great descriptions and well rounded characters galore! collins writes emotion perfectly, and when the characters feel shocked or frightened, you do too. oh, and joyful.
i’ve seen some comments saying they didn’t like it because it was “depressing” and i just thought that was a little… privileged? juvenile? that’s the point. a well written book makes you think, ask questions, and reflect on your own biases and privilege.
debated with giving this 5 stars and i may still change my mind on a future read, but for now it’s a 5 :) thought it had a slow(ish) start that ended up making sense and i don’t like ambiguous endings a huge amount, but that's a me problem.
(spoilers here)
Spoiler
the worldbuilding around the concept of binding was wonderfully done, with the mystery surrounding it initially turning to wonder as we see seredith guard her secrets with her life, but also being able to see the prejudice and horror of losing memories later on. one of my favourite parts of it was when the first woman to be bound didn't even know who her father was, because the memories associated with him were too painful. that early glimpse into the power of a binding was so interesting and subtle, i only noticed on a second read. i also loved how a binding wouldn't let you hear anything about it afterwards! loved the double-edged sword nature of binding in general, how it could be used to regale people with stories you no longer need as you were close to dying anyway, or in the more horrifying and frankly, disgusting way that people in power had twisted it into forcing people to be bound to forget things like rapes so as to give individuals the power to push themselves on others multiple times. or the heartbreaking way emmett was bound to forget being gay… i have to admit i cried a little reading that. i am VERY glad there was a way to reverse binding; and the line “memories want to burn” gave me chills.just as a last note: collins wrote the queer romance so beautifully. i had been silently rooting for emmett and lucian since their introduction and the little moments all meant so much to me. this book will forever have a treasured place in my heart purely because of them.
but yes, overall this book was a treasure and i'm so glad i picked it up :)
Graphic: Homophobia, Violence, Outing, Sexual content, Kidnapping, and Animal death
Moderate: Abandonment, Addiction, and Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Vomit and Violence
oogtube's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Abortion, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Suicide, Alcoholism, Gaslighting, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Kidnapping, and Vomit
marleywrites's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Graphic: Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Animal death, Suicide, Death, Alcohol, Homophobia, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Violence, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Grief, Gaslighting, Classism, Vomit, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, and Rape
Minor: Cursing
franticfreya's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
Graphic: Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Blood, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Physical abuse, Vomit, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Murder, and Sexual assault
prettycloud's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Gaslighting, Outing, Fire/Fire injury, Suicide, Violence, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Blood, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Animal death
Moderate: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Rape, Alcohol, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Sexism, Kidnapping, Classism, Sexual content, Murder, and Body shaming
There are some really awful and messed-up characters in this book who have a lot of power in their classist, sexist society. The main protags make mistakes and are really angry and traumatized through a lot of this, but aren't doing any of the really awful stuff. They experience homophobia, emotional abuse/gaslighting, and physical abuseSpoiler
from their familiesSpoiler
A beloved authority figureSpoiler
a beloved animalprashiie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I have mixed feelings about this book. While I really love the (queer) characters, the general outline and the uniqueness of the story, I also think it did not deliver its full potential. This book could have been so much more. Getting into the story was especially troublesome as the writing really threw me off. The detailed description of the surroundings part one almost felt cinematic. The writing in parts two and three on the other hand was more pleasant.
Spoiler
"To have another person’s memory entrusted to you… To take the deepest, darkest part away from them and keep it safe, forever. To honour it, to make it beautiful, even though no one will ever see it. To guard it with your own life."Although the majority of people loathed binders, she didn't let that influence her character. She stayed true to her profession until the end.
“There was sympathy in her face, as if I could tell her everything and she would understand.”
It is with Seredith that Emmett finds a real home. He carries her sympathy, morality and loyality while her own son, de Havilland, chooses a different path.
It's a pity that the point of view changes after Emmett goes to his first binding and gets his memories back. It would have been interesting to see how he gets to know his own powers and proceeds to become a fine binder. For example, the voice that he uses to curse the people that threatened to burn down Seredith's bindery with Seredith in it? This never gets mentioned again in the story.
The story also goes to show how greed and power can destroy any noble art.
Graphic: Animal death, Kidnapping, Rape, Suicide, Fire/Fire injury, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual harassment, Animal cruelty, and Homophobia
Moderate: Incest, Infidelity, Alcohol, Outing, Violence, Vomit, and Sexual assault
Minor: Murder
geilie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicide, Vomit, Homophobia, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, Child death, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Kidnapping, Classism, Grief, Forced institutionalization, Fatphobia, Religious bigotry, and Violence
therukat's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Suicide, Alcohol, Sexual violence, Abortion, Animal death, and Rape
Moderate: Infidelity, Biphobia, Kidnapping, Homophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Dementia, Outing, Emotional abuse, Blood, Excrement, and Pedophilia
A dog diesaamina's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Moderate: Rape, Animal cruelty, Suicide, Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Death, Vomit, Homophobia, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Alcoholism, Blood, Murder, Vomit, Alcohol, Abortion, and Kidnapping
greymalkin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Spoiler
I didn't much like any of the characters and the terrible abuse of all the female characters (not a single one is spared) was really upsetting. Especially as the male characters tended to be the abusers and awful people and for the most part had zero repercussions or punishment. I also wish that the book had lingered more on the actual bookbinding part instead of just a few descriptions of materials and tools that we never "see" used so we don't know what they do. Since the author has actually taken a lot of bookbinding classes I expected more but it felt more like what someone might add after an evening of googling and youtube videos. Since it was such a huge part of the magic system of the world, I wanted more details. All the bits about "trade" and fakes were intriguing but we never get to interact with them "onscreen". Humans are storytellers, how is that no one has written down stories before? If they didn't, then why isn't there more of an oral tradition? My questions really took me out of the book.Graphic: Homophobia, Child abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Grief, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Sexism, Violence, Child death, Suicide, Hate crime, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Bullying, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Classism, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment, and Self harm
Minor: Racism, Religious bigotry, Torture, Stalking, and Kidnapping