cheye13's review against another edition
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
This is written beautifully. The harpy metaphor is visceral and very relatable. I personally just feel like something's missing, something didn't push far enough.
Stories about "monstrous" women always leave me with this same feeling; "but he cheated on her." And what's worse, the men usually never truly understand the impact of what they've done. Yes, women in revenge narratives often go too far or truly become violent or cruel, but that's what I'm looking for in my revenge fiction – the satisfaction that real life lacks.
I did not expect this to focus so much on their children and in turn on the larger concept of the women's roles in society and in turn again on the concept of self. I expected a deeper interrogation of a single relationship, and perhaps that's where my own expectations let me down.
Stories about "monstrous" women always leave me with this same feeling; "but he cheated on her." And what's worse, the men usually never truly understand the impact of what they've done. Yes, women in revenge narratives often go too far or truly become violent or cruel, but that's what I'm looking for in my revenge fiction – the satisfaction that real life lacks.
I did not expect this to focus so much on their children and in turn on the larger concept of the women's roles in society and in turn again on the concept of self. I expected a deeper interrogation of a single relationship, and perhaps that's where my own expectations let me down.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity and Sexism
Moderate: Blood, Domestic abuse, and Vomit
Minor: Cursing, Death of parent, Excrement, Medical content, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Suicide
A lot of focus on (lack of) bodily autonomy, the mechanics of gestation and childbirth, and the relation between the two.
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