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celiapowell's review against another edition
5.0
The edition I read - perhaps the British or Australian edition? - is called Gullstruck Island, which I rather prefer as a title. This was just an astonishingly brilliant novel - I loved it, and desperately want to read more of Hardinge's work.
I'm finding the plot hard to summarise, so I won't. The Book Smugglers' review provides a nice summary, as well as being an excellent review. The world of Gullstruck Island is just so incredibly original and complex, so deliciously written, and the characters are beautifully drawn - particularly Hathin, the main character - oh, Hathin! She is such a fantastic character, complicated and conflicted and utterly determined. One of the best books I've read this year.
I'm finding the plot hard to summarise, so I won't. The Book Smugglers' review provides a nice summary, as well as being an excellent review. The world of Gullstruck Island is just so incredibly original and complex, so deliciously written, and the characters are beautifully drawn - particularly Hathin, the main character - oh, Hathin! She is such a fantastic character, complicated and conflicted and utterly determined. One of the best books I've read this year.
sonch's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
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
4.0
lara88's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
katie_reads_'s review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
kirstenrose22's review against another edition
5.0
This was mindblowingly good. The pace is a little slow, but every so often I had to put it down, just to wrap my head around the latest twist. Twists abound. Excellent writing. Great characters. Amazing world-building. So so so good
somewhat_kat's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
listen_learn'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Too much violence, too much in each culture that I find abhorrent, for me to truly enjoy this book. I'm not sure I would have finished it if wasn't for my bookclub. However, the plot was superb and the attention to detail extremely impressive.
Also the fact that some characters truly had hearr in the face of such pain touched me.
Also the fact that some characters truly had hearr in the face of such pain touched me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Slavery, Violence, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Murder