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kibble97's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
sophie_liest's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.5
kayhanpep's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
maximumboogie's review against another edition
2.5
Picked this up because I liked the cover(s) and had never read a book like this before.
Started with the blue half (1880s), and I honestly don't think the book can be read the other way around, because the latter story (red half, 1930s) has no effect on the other half, you could read the blue half as a standalone novela. This isn't a con per se, but more a missed opportunity, and partially misleading marketing, as the cover(s) imply that you need both parts of the story to understand the whole book.
The blue half had some weird depictions of accents that made some dialogue almost unreadable. The final twist in this half was also pretty predictable but I did like it. Shame it was made worse by the other half.
The red half was way less interesting than the blue one, and its ending is also very abrupt. I did like the *final* twist, just not the confrontation that happened after, it really was just characters telling one another what happened instead of something interesting actually happening. This half also low-key ruined the blue half for me, there was a twist near the beginning that made me think: "then what was the point of the blue half?" Whenever you're supposed to remember something from the blue half, the passage is cited.
Also, there is a trope that I really hate, namely "this character knows everything and dies before they can say anything", and this book does it TWICE. Three times technically, but the third person wasn't revealed to have known anything until after their death.
Other than all of these criticisms, I did like the book somewhat, especially the blue half.
Started with the blue half (1880s), and I honestly don't think the book can be read the other way around, because the latter story (red half, 1930s) has no effect on the other half, you could read the blue half as a standalone novela. This isn't a con per se, but more a missed opportunity, and partially misleading marketing, as the cover(s) imply that you need both parts of the story to understand the whole book.
The blue half had some weird depictions of accents that made some dialogue almost unreadable. The final twist in this half was also pretty predictable but I did like it. Shame it was made worse by the other half.
The red half was way less interesting than the blue one, and its ending is also very abrupt. I did like the *final* twist, just not the confrontation that happened after, it really was just characters telling one another what happened instead of something interesting actually happening. This half also low-key ruined the blue half for me, there was a twist near the beginning that made me think: "then what was the point of the blue half?" Whenever you're supposed to remember something from the blue half, the passage is cited.
Also, there is a trope that I really hate, namely "this character knows everything and dies before they can say anything", and this book does it TWICE. Three times technically, but the third person wasn't revealed to have known anything until after their death.
Other than all of these criticisms, I did like the book somewhat, especially the blue half.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism
Moderate: Police brutality
sextance's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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? Yes
3.5
heli_hz's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
drannieg's review against another edition
3.75
Fantastic concept, reasonably well executed (the second/blue half better than the first, not least as less attempt to render an Essex accent on the page - just say the character is accented and write it normally please). Twists obviously from a mile off. Enjoyable though.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Animal death, Police brutality, Medical content, and Death of parent
martinah_'s review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.5
flightyrachel's review against another edition
3.75
A clever and interesting idea, not sure the stories were quite strong enough to carry it off. A good read!