jyan's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
nattazz2's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars.
I liked the concept and setting, but something about the way it was written kept throwing me off. It seemed like it was mostly dialogue with not enough description of the scene or what was happening. I often was confused as to who was actually talking, and felt like I missed a sentence or a page though I hadn't. I wonder if I should've read her other books first to be more at home in Portero before being introduced to it in this story. That said, I'm definitely still going to read the other Portero books and find out more about this crazy town.
I liked the concept and setting, but something about the way it was written kept throwing me off. It seemed like it was mostly dialogue with not enough description of the scene or what was happening. I often was confused as to who was actually talking, and felt like I missed a sentence or a page though I hadn't. I wonder if I should've read her other books first to be more at home in Portero before being introduced to it in this story. That said, I'm definitely still going to read the other Portero books and find out more about this crazy town.
figkeele's review against another edition
5.0
It's good to see Dia Reeves writing again, I was always so amazed by her writing skill, and she doesn't disappoint. Heartsick is the third novel of the Portero universe - and if anyone was a fan of this weird town, they will love this book the same.
It's a morbid, grotesque, bloody, violent tale of love. Simply perfect.
It's a morbid, grotesque, bloody, violent tale of love. Simply perfect.
tautafari's review against another edition
I guess I’m hiding this entire review for some minor spoilers because I don’t know how to do anything else.
Where to start. I had a lot of fun reading this book. The main character Rue is charming in her strangeness and very likable. The world itself is cool, though with less creepy/eerie vibes then I expected and the creatures we meet pose diverse challenges for our MC. I do think it would have been good to see some of the creatures expounded on more, many of them just barely showed up on page, while most of our ever-present characters were all human.
The writing itself could have benefitted from some tightening up. The prose was often effective, but very sparse, and we relied heavily on dialogue. This made the book very readable but there were definitely points where I felt like, no I would actually like to know more. That being said, the timing of certain lines and dialogues was used effectively. Also, the tone of this book is quite funny in it’s irreverence, which is always a plus for me.
BUT
I have a couple issues with this book. 1) I was promised weird, which like yea okay, but most of the strangeness was weird (derogatory). Because we’re in a town where it’s well established that weird things happen, the actual phenomenon doesn’t feel weird as it’s being read. What does feel weird is the main character sleeping with two twin brothers at the same time (On multiple occasions). This entire subplot made me very uncomfortable (expounded by the fact that the twins were 17 and the main character was said to be 17 in human years but also shown to have sexual encounters with adult characters). There were lots of things about the twins that are clearly meant to be intentionally uncomfortable, but this aspect felt a lot like fulfillment of a borderline fucked up fantasy (with sex off page for plausible deniability).
Related: I see no reason these characters shouldn’t have been a bit older. Them being the age they were didn’t add anything. On a surface level considering the relationship dynamics them being kids makes sense, but like they coulda been 20, it woulda been fine.
The other thing is I disliked the direction the author chose to go with Rue’s family. Won’t get into it spoiler wise, but for a book that to me seems to be at it’s heart a dissection of family and belonging, these characters, Rue’s sister in particular were somewhat wasted. Similarly, Westwood’s ultimate ending was slightly underwhelming. Not due to content, the scene itself simply felt rushed.
Where to start. I had a lot of fun reading this book. The main character Rue is charming in her strangeness and very likable. The world itself is cool, though with less creepy/eerie vibes then I expected and the creatures we meet pose diverse challenges for our MC. I do think it would have been good to see some of the creatures expounded on more, many of them just barely showed up on page, while most of our ever-present characters were all human.
The writing itself could have benefitted from some tightening up. The prose was often effective, but very sparse, and we relied heavily on dialogue. This made the book very readable but there were definitely points where I felt like, no I would actually like to know more. That being said, the timing of certain lines and dialogues was used effectively. Also, the tone of this book is quite funny in it’s irreverence, which is always a plus for me.
BUT
I have a couple issues with this book. 1) I was promised weird, which like yea okay, but most of the strangeness was weird (derogatory). Because we’re in a town where it’s well established that weird things happen, the actual phenomenon doesn’t feel weird as it’s being read. What does feel weird is the main character sleeping with two twin brothers at the same time (On multiple occasions). This entire subplot made me very uncomfortable (expounded by the fact that the twins were 17 and the main character was said to be 17 in human years but also shown to have sexual encounters with adult characters). There were lots of things about the twins that are clearly meant to be intentionally uncomfortable, but this aspect felt a lot like fulfillment of a borderline fucked up fantasy (with sex off page for plausible deniability).
Related: I see no reason these characters shouldn’t have been a bit older. Them being the age they were didn’t add anything. On a surface level considering the relationship dynamics them being kids makes sense, but like they coulda been 20, it woulda been fine.
The other thing is I disliked the direction the author chose to go with Rue’s family. Won’t get into it spoiler wise, but for a book that to me seems to be at it’s heart a dissection of family and belonging, these characters, Rue’s sister in particular were somewhat wasted. Similarly, Westwood’s ultimate ending was slightly underwhelming. Not due to content, the scene itself simply felt rushed.
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