wondawilson's review
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
2.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse and Misogyny
lorriss's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Child death, Grief, Death, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Child abuse, Gaslighting, and Mental illness
emily_mh's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I felt pretty ambivalently about the art style from the first page, which ended up being how I felt about the book as a whole. Not much happened for most of the book, and then the resolution of the conflict was rushed so quickly. I also felt like Wendell and Marjorie's relationship needed more development. In terms of characterisation, I really liked Wendell, but Marjorie was kind of like a wet napkin, and I didn't like the one-dimensional bully character trope. However, even though the execution was shaky in places, I did like the premise and the setting, and the world-building surrounding ghosts, enough to give this 3 stars and want to seek out the sequel.
Spoiler
Also, where was the apology from Marjorie's dad for literally neglecting her after her mum's death? Poor girl was running a household AND a business while going to MIDDLE school? Furthermore, some character development was like BAM this is how they are now, instead of showing a progression from Point A to Point B. I.e., Marjorie's dad is suddenly not depressed by the end of the book, and Wendell and Majorie are suddenly capable of swimming in the lake.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Bullying, Death of parent, and Child death
Minor: Murder, Gore, Violence, Body horror, Mental illness, Alcoholism, Ableism, and Misogyny
royalraspberry's review
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
slow-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
3.0
This was a sweet story, but honestly, I was too mad at the dad to really enjoy the story, and there's no resolution to his bad behavior other than "aw he was happy when the business he left his 13yo to run while he locked himself in his bedroom and refused to parent did well! yay!".
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Child death and Death of parent
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