laurel_f_945's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
It may have been how fast I read it, but the book as a whole was a bit confusing, with plot twist after plot twist, and an incredible amount of questions that seemed to go unintentionally unanswered. The prose was beautiful and really drew me in, but the plot seemed simultaneously overcrowded and a little empty. Overall, a pretty enjoyable read, though there were definitely some areas that could use improvement.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Suicide and Sexual violence
thecatconstellation's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Overall, I enjoyed this, but at times I felt like one too many things was happening and some of the information towards the end felt very rushed, especially compared to the pacing of the rest of the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Death, Murder, Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Blood, Child death, and Kidnapping
Minor: Sexual violence, Alcohol, and Abandonment
mayas's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
It's been a day since I finished this book. And as the hours have passed, I've felt more grateful that I read it. I was able to see parts of myself in this story, and I've also learnt more about me.
I experienced so much joy and excitement reading this. The kind of ADHD joy/excitement that dances through your whole body and feels euphoric. The kind that makes you scream and cackle because the tension is just right, the twists are endless, and you just figured out that clue right before it was revealed.
I love the concept of this book. I love the setting. The characters. The descriptions. I have synesthesia, and so it was a DELIGHT to read the senses blend so many times. One of my favourite synesthesia-like moments in this book was the comparisonred velvet red curtains to chocolate cake
soaked in wine. I've never tasted that, or thought about this, but I SO understand this comparison!!! So much. Heheh
I was a little disappointed with the ending at first, and sort of still might be? But I also find it SO COOL. What Stephanie Garber did and how she did it was very clever and I love it. I really love it.
Thank you, Stephanie, for this story.
I experienced so much joy and excitement reading this. The kind of ADHD joy/excitement that dances through your whole body and feels euphoric. The kind that makes you scream and cackle because the tension is just right, the twists are endless, and you just figured out that clue right before it was revealed.
I love the concept of this book. I love the setting. The characters. The descriptions. I have synesthesia, and so it was a DELIGHT to read the senses blend so many times. One of my favourite synesthesia-like moments in this book was the comparisonred velvet red curtains to chocolate cake
soaked in wine. I've never tasted that, or thought about this, but I SO understand this comparison!!! So much. Heheh
I was a little disappointed with the ending at first, and sort of still might be? But I also find it SO COOL. What Stephanie Garber did and how she did it was very clever and I love it. I really love it.
Thank you, Stephanie, for this story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Gaslighting, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide, Murder, Blood, and Death
Minor: Alcohol, Sexual violence, Drug use, and Sexism
rape threat, anxietyssc1109's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This book was such a roller coaster. I never knew how much I wanted a mystery/fantasy/thriller/dark emotional book until now. I was constantly guessing at what was going on and what the clues meant. This book had me hooked.
Fantastic world building and love that the ending made me shake with fear and excitement at the same time.
Audio book was a fantastic performance, even at 1.35x speed.
No spice but suggestions are made. 🌶/5
Suggestive SA trigger warning.
Abusive parent trigger warning.
Fantastic world building and love that the ending made me shake with fear and excitement at the same time.
Audio book was a fantastic performance, even at 1.35x speed.
No spice but suggestions are made. 🌶/5
Suggestive SA trigger warning.
Abusive parent trigger warning.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual violence and Child abuse
alee02's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
This was a fast and fun read but it’s not the strongest writing (the similes are a little out of control, i.e. a kiss “tasted like wind”, something was “the color of list things”). The magic of the world is very compelling and because of the narrator’s perspective bounds to that magic we’re difficult to establish, but this sometimes cheapened the stakes of the game. When I got to the end, I felt the slightest bit underwhelmed. Still a fast-paced, fun, and compelling read with a fast start.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Death
Moderate: Sexual violence and Suicide
Minor: Torture
sophieefaithh's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Blood and Violence
Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual violence
emnem's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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? Yes
5.0
Absolutely loved this book. It was a magical mind trip. Very dark themes but the end was amazing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Violence
Minor: Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, and Sexual content
kerrygibbons's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Beyond the fact that I don’t particularly like mysteries, I found this overall to be a surprisingly mediocre book. The action is jumped into almost alarmingly quickly and somehow it didn’t feel like the characters (or the reader) were ready for it. Just when I would get into one part of the story, it would change dramatically. The epilogue was enough to make me nearly give it 2 stars, but that’s VERY difficult to earn from me.
CW: suicide
CW: suicide
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Child abuse, Death, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Confinement, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Sexism, Mental illness, Grief, Forced institutionalization, and Emotional abuse
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