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imds's review
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
theinterneti's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Death, Rape, Self harm, Suicide, and Violence
Moderate: Gore, Sexism, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Blood and Vomit
herperfume's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Car accident, Pregnancy, and Lesbophobia
darumachan'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? Yes
3.75
I was initially captivated by the mystery of the haunting at the core of the novel, but that was also where I was most frustrated. I don't mind an ambiguous ending that leaves you pondering, but I realize here that I do take issue with patterns or "clues" that are either abandoned or that are later contradicted for no reason, pointing the reader to a ridiculously broad conclusion that the problem is men and marriage in general, rather than following through on the more subtle relationships between heteronormative marriage and homophobia, misogyny, medical gaslighting, mental illness, gun violence, and family cultures founded on authoritarianism.
I also am dissatisfied with how the MC was developed. I'm fine with an unlikeable MC, but here she seemed to be a faded copy of her elder sisters rather than her own person, even though she was the one who survived to tell her story. She doesn't want to be compared to men, but she has no problem taking advantage of her romantic partner to do the emotional and intellectual labor expected of women married to "genius" male artists, for example. This is especially problematic given that this is a mixed-race partnership. The MC's sexuality was also handled rather clumsily and her attraction to women seemed tacked on to an otherwise asexual character.
Graphic: Confinement, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Self harm, Sexual assault, Acephobia/Arophobia, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Lesbophobia, Cultural appropriation, and War
jillaay_h's review
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
town_scar's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Homophobia, Suicide, Vomit, Police brutality, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Body shaming, Cancer, Cursing, Death, Fatphobia, Racism, and Cultural appropriation
ktrain3900's review
- 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
4.25
Minor: Death, Self harm, Suicide, and Forced institutionalization
bri_fabiano'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
4.0
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Blood, and Grief
Moderate: Self harm and Sexual assault
Minor: Gun violence and Suicide
lucybbookstuff's review
- 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? It's complicated
3.25
- I might have gotten more out of it if the blurb and the opening chapter hadn't told me the whole plot. If what happened to the sisters was more of a surprise. This is part of why it felt so slow for me. It just felt like a long way to say what had already been summarized and I was waiting for something new to happen... and nothing really did.
- I somewhat wish that the Iris Chapel/Sylvia Wren perspectives had been more mixed together. It felt like an awfully long time to wait to get back to the protagonist we were first introduced to (even if they are the same person).
- While I appreciate the feminist themes and the critique of the treatment of women, I found it extremely heavy-handed and also completely mystifying. Which was maybe the point but didn't work for me. Why this family? Why Belinda's line? What was it all for? And why did it happen this way?
- Lastly, it seemed like the gun legacy and the victim ghosts were going to be a much bigger part of the story, and that was interesting to me, but it was disappointingly sidelined.
Okay that is a lot of complaints lol, this wasn't my favorite book. But despite all of that, I did find it interesting and well-written, and I was invested in Iris's story. Just wish it had been executed a bit differently.
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Gore
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Self harm
mondovertigo's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Misogyny, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Self harm, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting
Minor: Sexual assault, Car accident, and Lesbophobia