auroraizora's review
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Mental illness, Drug abuse, Self harm, Torture, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Gore, Kidnapping, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Death, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
fflur's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
5.0
I think this book is quite widely misunderstood (and to be fair, easily so). I have seen a lot of different theories online as to what really happened, and it can be interpreted in a variety of ways, but how I interpreted is detailed in the spoiler below. It can be hard to tell exactly what's going on at certain parts of the story, making it confusing and disorienting to the readers, however I just think that's mona awad trying to 'share' the feelings samantha is experiencing as a result of what i believe her condition to be.
- her mother telling her to 'come back to reality'
- the lion not knowing how to deal with her after she 'spilled her words' aka revealed her mental state & leaving him unsure of how to interact with her
- the sudden appearance of a large amount of bunnies & her talking to them
- the old lady on the bus going through the schizophrenic check list while appearing like samantha's grandmother and having spiders crawl over her (samantha's biggest phobia)
- the kidnapping scene where she's discovered by a janitor
It's about her being alone as a result of this, not able to connect to others and others not knowing how to help her - from the bunnies (the distance they kept from her prior to her joining them) to ursula (the christmas dinner scene), with jonah being the only one who seems to want to extend a hand. However, though it's clear jonah isn't hallucinated (he is described being unlike ava, who's described as having eyes that shift colours), at the end of the book when she is talking to jonah and 'the mud' responds to her, it's unclear whether or not she hallucinated his response.
Ava, from her unexplainable disappearances to her changing appearance to samanatha's obsession with her, is a hallucination - someone who she has made up to find a home in.
Max/byron/hud/icarus, or whatever you want to call him, is also a hallucination, and as samantha starts to get a firmer grip on reality, her hallucinations - ava and max - both leave her, for different reasons.
i think the book details a very interesting take on schizophrenia, showing how confusing and disorienting hallucinations can be, and showing how samantha desperately tries to get a grasp on reality.
Spoiler
I think the book details Samantha's experiences with schizophrenia. Throughout the book, we are given hints as to the fact that she is schizophrenic:- her mother telling her to 'come back to reality'
- the lion not knowing how to deal with her after she 'spilled her words' aka revealed her mental state & leaving him unsure of how to interact with her
- the sudden appearance of a large amount of bunnies & her talking to them
- the old lady on the bus going through the schizophrenic check list while appearing like samantha's grandmother and having spiders crawl over her (samantha's biggest phobia)
- the kidnapping scene where she's discovered by a janitor
It's about her being alone as a result of this, not able to connect to others and others not knowing how to help her - from the bunnies (the distance they kept from her prior to her joining them) to ursula (the christmas dinner scene), with jonah being the only one who seems to want to extend a hand. However, though it's clear jonah isn't hallucinated (he is described being unlike ava, who's described as having eyes that shift colours), at the end of the book when she is talking to jonah and 'the mud' responds to her, it's unclear whether or not she hallucinated his response.
Ava, from her unexplainable disappearances to her changing appearance to samanatha's obsession with her, is a hallucination - someone who she has made up to find a home in.
Max/byron/hud/icarus, or whatever you want to call him, is also a hallucination, and as samantha starts to get a firmer grip on reality, her hallucinations - ava and max - both leave her, for different reasons.
i think the book details a very interesting take on schizophrenia, showing how confusing and disorienting hallucinations can be, and showing how samantha desperately tries to get a grasp on reality.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Sexual content
bold_badger's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Alcohol, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Physical abuse
Minor: Addiction, Death of parent, Car accident, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Kidnapping, and Drug use
echidna's review
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This book is wild. First and foremost, I respect it for its ability to constantly surprise me. I never had any idea what was going to happen next. I think it's rare to find a book that's really like nothing else you've read. When I describe the plot of this book to people it makes sense, at a high level, but truly it's hard to capture all the layers and how it feels to read it. I can't think of anything I would really compare it to, which is kind of cool.
If you enjoy literary analysis, you could write two dozen high school style essays hashing out its various themes and possible interpretations. Makes it a fun book to discuss and think about.
The many layers and open-to-interpretation nature of this book can make it a little frustrating or confusing. There were definitely parts that I had difficulty following. The book delivers carefully built-up surprises, but it never becomes truly clear what is really going on.
Despite the confusion, I found this book to be a page turner. You just get in and enjoy the ride, no clue where you're going.
I think it might even be worth a re-read. I'll have to consider it.
I'm sure everyone has their own interpretations, but I thought it was interesting what the book was trying to depict about writing and creativity. The contrast and interactions between Samantha and the Bunnies, their different approaches to art -- and creating Darlings. The commentary on Warren and the surrounding town. The 'teaching' of writing, and writing as a communal vs individual act. Class, privilege, and trauma and how they interact with creative generation. How in the end, both Samantha and the Bunnies are kind of pathetic in their own ways.
Interpretations aside, the surface-level reading experience itself is pretty good. The bunnies are totally creepy, with their cutesy witch coven. There's suspense, since it's clear since the beginning that there's something weird about Ava, some mysterious history with the Lion. Lots of clever little hints and clues from the author throughout the book. The bunny-mind-meld section is super whack (in a cool way). Things keep escalating as the story goes on. The Ava plot twist is wild. There's tons of surprises in general.
I did have a general sense of feeling confused, since it's totally unclear what genre the book even falls into. Crazy things happen, and it's unclear whether they're real or not (within the world of the book).
It isn't clear, in the end, what is magical realism, satire, metaphor, real in-world fantasy, or schizophrenia. I think I would have been disappointed if it was all just schizophrenia in the end, so I'm glad it's open ended. Still, just a little more clarity might have made the book more satisfying for me.
If you enjoy literary analysis, you could write two dozen high school style essays hashing out its various themes and possible interpretations. Makes it a fun book to discuss and think about.
The many layers and open-to-interpretation nature of this book can make it a little frustrating or confusing. There were definitely parts that I had difficulty following. The book delivers carefully built-up surprises, but it never becomes truly clear what is really going on.
Despite the confusion, I found this book to be a page turner. You just get in and enjoy the ride, no clue where you're going.
I think it might even be worth a re-read. I'll have to consider it.
Spoiler
I'm sure everyone has their own interpretations, but I thought it was interesting what the book was trying to depict about writing and creativity. The contrast and interactions between Samantha and the Bunnies, their different approaches to art -- and creating Darlings. The commentary on Warren and the surrounding town. The 'teaching' of writing, and writing as a communal vs individual act. Class, privilege, and trauma and how they interact with creative generation. How in the end, both Samantha and the Bunnies are kind of pathetic in their own ways.
Interpretations aside, the surface-level reading experience itself is pretty good. The bunnies are totally creepy, with their cutesy witch coven. There's suspense, since it's clear since the beginning that there's something weird about Ava, some mysterious history with the Lion. Lots of clever little hints and clues from the author throughout the book. The bunny-mind-meld section is super whack (in a cool way). Things keep escalating as the story goes on. The Ava plot twist is wild. There's tons of surprises in general.
I did have a general sense of feeling confused, since it's totally unclear what genre the book even falls into. Crazy things happen, and it's unclear whether they're real or not (within the world of the book).
It isn't clear, in the end, what is magical realism, satire, metaphor, real in-world fantasy, or schizophrenia. I think I would have been disappointed if it was all just schizophrenia in the end, so I'm glad it's open ended. Still, just a little more clarity might have made the book more satisfying for me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Self harm
catzngoenz's review
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.5
Girls that get it, get it, girls that don't, don't.
And im the girl that doesn't get it.
Most of the book was me trying to figure out which character is which, where i am and what am i doing. As soon as the story picks up pace i immediately fell back again to the where, what, who, when.
Could be just me and my comprehensive skill but yeh, not a book for me.
And im the girl that doesn't get it.
Most of the book was me trying to figure out which character is which, where i am and what am i doing. As soon as the story picks up pace i immediately fell back again to the where, what, who, when.
Could be just me and my comprehensive skill but yeh, not a book for me.
Spoiler
i guess the part where they reveal ava is made up also is pretty interesting but again, i was too lost and confused to actually process anything
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Animal cruelty, Gore, Murder, and Animal death
imogenreads_'s review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
A bitingly satirical evaluation of female friendship and the echo chamber of academic elitism turns into a ‘what-the-f***’ horror-thriller that boggles just as it enthrals.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Cursing, Death, Gore, Toxic friendship, and Violence
Minor: Self harm, Car accident, Drug use, Rape, Death of parent, and Mental illness
jo_lzr's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
This is one of those books that I could sit here for hours and try to express my thoughts about it but I just don't know what to say.
Firstly, there were some quotes and scenes in this book that I really did enjoy, whether they were poetic or completely insane.
Honestly, I could just describe this book as creepy, crazy and sad (and a bit horny).
Also, I enjoyed the author's sarcasm for the pretentiousness of some people in the art world. I think that it was done in a very smart way.
On the other hand, there were some parts in the story where I couldn't understand what was happening, but I understand that this is the author's purpose.
Overall, this was an interesting read hence why I am giving it 3 stars.
Firstly, there were some quotes and scenes in this book that I really did enjoy, whether they were poetic or completely insane.
Honestly, I could just describe this book as creepy, crazy and sad (and a bit horny).
Also, I enjoyed the author's sarcasm for the pretentiousness of some people in the art world. I think that it was done in a very smart way.
On the other hand, there were some parts in the story where I couldn't understand what was happening, but I understand that this is the author's purpose.
Overall, this was an interesting read hence why I am giving it 3 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Gaslighting, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Cannibalism, Confinement, Death, Murder, Sexual harassment, Kidnapping, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Death of parent, Classism, Cursing, and Sexual assault
Minor: Rape
bekiethebanished's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Body horror, Death, Animal death, Bullying, Death of parent, Cursing, Murder, Kidnapping, Blood, Gore, Animal cruelty, Toxic friendship, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Drug use, and Alcohol
Moderate: Physical abuse, Mental illness, Sexual content, Torture, and Self harm
Minor: Dysphoria, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit
lifeonasofa's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Violence, Gore, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic friendship, Addiction, Sexual content, Blood, Confinement, Drug use, Murder, Gaslighting, Mental illness, and Bullying
serinalovesreading's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Violence