scottcod's review
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Shout out to the review I read that said ‘Is this book saying being straight is bad?’ because it made me read this book, and I loved it. It was longer, but it kept me engaged the entire time. Everything was so good about this book except but other than that, it was excellent
Spoiler
I wish I understood the curse more and why it occurs
Content Warnings
Moderate: Car accident and Suicide
Minor: Alcoholism, War, and Violence
rachaelwho's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Bro... This was so. Boring. I thought I'd love it. I wanted to love it. It was so so so so so boring. So dry and so on the nose. Years and years and years long. Maybe I am just not Victorian enough for this.
Extremely skilled voice acting by the narrator.
Extremely skilled voice acting by the narrator.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Blood, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual harassment, and Suicide
ktrain3900's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-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
4.25
One part The Virgin Suicides, another part We Have Always Lived in the Castle, with dashes of Sarah Winchester and Georgia O'Keeffe, yet a wholly original, meandering, quasi-gothic tale. Spooky-fun in places, cringe-tastic in others, always enough intrigue to keep me turning pages. Despite the often otherworldly atmosphere, the familial relationships feel largely genuine. Not sure I entirely "got it" or that there was an "it" to get (there seems to be a few ways to read the book) and not entirely won over by the ending, but overall I liked this very much.
Content Warnings
Minor: Self harm, Death, Forced institutionalization, and Suicide
sophmcgraw's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Suicide attempt and Suicide
laney_jpg's review
dark
emotional
sad
medium-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? It's complicated
This is was incredibly heavy and sad, heartbreaking. But also so full of love and such a wonderful portrayal of the special kind of love between sisters and women in general.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Suicide
I would not recommend to anyone currently grieving or those who have lost siblings. Very heart wrenching family-loss throughout the entirety of the book.brianna_moye's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Confinement, Blood, and Grief
Moderate: Sexual assault and Self harm
Minor: Gun violence and Suicide
lucybmn's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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? It's complicated
3.25
Might edit this later, but just wanted to get these thoughts down. These are the complaints I held throughout reading this book:
- 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.
- 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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, and Child death
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Self harm
readwithbrittany's review
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This book was not for me. While I usually enjoy a gothic literary read, this book was too long and slow. I found there were times I would zone out while reading but I didn't need to go back and re-read the part I missed because it wasn't important anyway. There are a few stand out moments that had me engaged and kept me reading, but the book would have been better if it was about a 100 pages shorter. I also can't even remember the ending and I just finished it two days ago.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Mental illness, Blood, Death, and Suicide
hazelgirl21's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Suicide, Pregnancy, and Forced institutionalization
mondovertigo's review
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Misogyny, and Suicide
Moderate: Pregnancy, Self harm, and Gaslighting
Minor: Sexual assault, Lesbophobia, and Car accident