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billyjepma's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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? Yes
3.0
There’s a lot to like here—striking prose, sharp characterizations, vibes so potent you can feel them sticking on your skin—but it ultimately didn’t work for me as much as I wanted. It’s a very cruel book, for one, with more violence than I expected (that’s on me for going into this without knowing anything about it), which I can usually stomach without a problem. But the cruelty didn’t have the teeth it needed to leave a mark—it’s all blunt and brutal and lacks the intentionality I look for. What’s the violence saying? How does it frame or reframe the themes and characters? I kept looking for a moment to make everything click into place, but I never found it. I’m sure it’s there somewhere, but for whatever reason, it never materialized for me.
The dual storylines have potential, and the structure of the chapters does an admirable job of bouncing between the two timelines. Some moments had me by the throat and used the back-and-forth pacing to keep me reading longer than planned. Those moments are the exception, though, as I usually gravitated toward the 1989 story, where Kidd’s characterizations are the strongest, and the narrative has the most momentum and stakes. I kept waiting for the two stories to converge, but they didn’t, at least not in a way that satisfied me. They share themes, sure, but when the themes are this broad and, honestly, kind of basic, it left me cold. There’s enough good here that I can’t go lower than a three-star rating, but suffice it to say, this one wasn’t for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Death, Physical abuse, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Violence, Stalking, Murder, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, and Cannibalism
kirip's review against another edition
adventurous
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Animal death
Minor: Child death
ruthjenkins's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Suicide, and Death of parent
marjshopes's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death
sarahlizbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, and Sexual assault
Minor: Animal death and Suicide
fanabana's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death
mmikadze's review against another edition
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, and Child death
lachesisreads's review against another edition
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
A parentless girl in 1629. A parentless boy in 1989. Both end up on the same island, close to Batavia - modern day Jakarta. One might call them flotsam and jetsam.
Their fates connect across the centuries as their lives take parallel turns for a little while - with very different outcomes.
It was impossible to say which narrative strand I liked more. When I was with Mayken, it was Mayken; when I was reading about Gil, it was Gil. Their lives could not have been more different, and yet they have so much in common - a childhood as it should not be for one thing.
I've seen this called straight-up historical fiction, but Jess Kidd wouldn't be Jess Kidd if she hadn't woven some dark magical realism into this story as well. Is it real? Is it in Mayken's imagination? We're left to draw our own conclusions.
I tried to draw out the reading experience because I enjoyed it so much - something I always find myself doing with Kidd's books. A masterfully told story from a master storyteller; I can't recommend it enough.
Content warning: this is not always an easy read and has depictions of violence against people (children included) as well as animals, although they're never very graphic.
I want to thank NetGalley, Canongate and Jess Kidd for a free advance copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions here expressed are my own.
Their fates connect across the centuries as their lives take parallel turns for a little while - with very different outcomes.
It was impossible to say which narrative strand I liked more. When I was with Mayken, it was Mayken; when I was reading about Gil, it was Gil. Their lives could not have been more different, and yet they have so much in common - a childhood as it should not be for one thing.
I've seen this called straight-up historical fiction, but Jess Kidd wouldn't be Jess Kidd if she hadn't woven some dark magical realism into this story as well. Is it real? Is it in Mayken's imagination? We're left to draw our own conclusions.
I tried to draw out the reading experience because I enjoyed it so much - something I always find myself doing with Kidd's books. A masterfully told story from a master storyteller; I can't recommend it enough.
Content warning: this is not always an easy read and has depictions of violence against people (children included) as well as animals, although they're never very graphic.
I want to thank NetGalley, Canongate and Jess Kidd for a free advance copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions here expressed are my own.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, and Violence
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