Reviews with content warning for Cannibalism - Black Sheep

“I imaged my anxiety as an amphibian, a slick, nimble creature dancing under my ribs. That’s how I felt, this anxiety. Alive. Trickery. Slippery. Quick. Difficulty to catch.”

I loved the first half of this book, I thought Vesper was a wonderful character to follow and I was so interested to find out more about her upbringing.

I needed to know more about her famous mother, wanted to see how she’d interact with the family she left behind when she left the cult (which is truly the only word for them!), and learn more about what Virgil and its residents were hiding from the outside world.

I went into this book with only the blurb as my guide so I was in a state of shock when I found out what the cult was about.

Then it just became predictable and I was mildly disappointed.

I don’t want to give too much away, and going into more detail about my thoughts will do just that, but I just feel let down.

Now, don’t get me wrong, Harrison’s writing was beautiful; so descriptive and each character felt unique from one another, I can’t fault that at all.

I think I was just expecting something different, something that would give the story more than the generic cult premise, and for some people maybe this does just that, but I predicted (and I have the texts to prove it 😂) everything about 40% of the way in and was almost let down by the fact that I had.

Also, probably controversially, it just didn’t need an epilogue. The final chapter, in my opinion, should have been the ending, allowing for the reader to make their own conclusion about what happens.

Ultimately, this just wasn’t for me, and I’m gutted that that’s the case.

Content Warnings

savshelfinger's review against another edition

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dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

This was a miss for me; I thought the characters were flat and was expecting a much more thoroughly developed depiction of religious and family trauma.

It read like YA fiction and didn’t really do much with its major themes.

Content Warnings

ripxreads's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense fast-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

1.5

Content Warnings

kayceeisbookish's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

A fast read regarding growing into adulthood, family vs. the individual, and faith-based struggles. I loved how the author had us in the dark with the MC for most of the book. Added lots of suspense and needed tension. Ate this book up.

Content Warnings