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free_the_bookshelf's review against another edition
4.0
I loved the story but the audiobook production was a bit shotty
rachaelwho's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I wanted to like this a lot more than I did. It's such an interesting idea, and some of it was very good, it just didn't really come together for me.
Voice acting was not good.
Voice acting was not good.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, and Abortion
Moderate: Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Death of parent, and Colonisation
Minor: Cultural appropriation
aunty_elle's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
charliebnl's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
4.5
sara_vargas25's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape, Suicide, and Abortion
areadingraven's review against another edition
4.0
Beautiful. Loved the narration styles, changing time periods and locations, and magical realism/folklore elements. And, of course, the Buffy & Greys references.
chnclrce's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
andyfishsticks's review against another edition
4.0
4.5/5
i really enjoyed this book ! originally i was going to give it an even 4 stars, but in the days since i’ve finished it, i’ve found my mind wandering back to the story quite a few times, so i feel like it deserves more.
i thought this book had a really interesting premise, and i loved how the various mystical elements were worked into the story. i also really liked that the book got into some of the dad and mom’s history, and i thought the way their histories bled into the present-day narration of their daughters was really well done. the way the mom’s story and character connected to everything was especially cool to me; even though there are only a couple of chapters devoted specifically to her, it becomes clearer and clearer that she’s at the center of everything as you read on. i really enjoyed her, sasha, and zora as characters. the dad did fade into the background for me a bit at times, but i feel like this was either an intentional choice, or just a consequence of me being more invested in stories about women and queer people (or both).
there were only a couple of things that i had mixed feelings about. the first thing is that i felt like zora got slightly less attention as a character compared to sasha. when i finished the book i was like “i definitely would’ve taken an extra chapter from her point of view”; specifically, i would’ve been interested to read more about her initial adjustment to living with her dad and stepmom. the other thing is the “ambiguous” narrator that takes over every few chapters. as a concept, i found this really interesting. i also thought this worked well structurally, and i loved the voice of this narrator (mysterious, a bit creepy, everything i wanted, really). that being said, a few of the chapters from this narrator’s point of view covered so much ground that i found myself getting a little overwhelmed/confused. i also didnt love that we learn who the narrator is at the end; i think it would have been cool for this to stay a mystery, especially since i wondered a couple of times whether the narrator was who they turned out to be.
i really enjoyed this book ! originally i was going to give it an even 4 stars, but in the days since i’ve finished it, i’ve found my mind wandering back to the story quite a few times, so i feel like it deserves more.
i thought this book had a really interesting premise, and i loved how the various mystical elements were worked into the story. i also really liked that the book got into some of the dad and mom’s history, and i thought the way their histories bled into the present-day narration of their daughters was really well done. the way the mom’s story and character connected to everything was especially cool to me; even though there are only a couple of chapters devoted specifically to her, it becomes clearer and clearer that she’s at the center of everything as you read on. i really enjoyed her, sasha, and zora as characters. the dad did fade into the background for me a bit at times, but i feel like this was either an intentional choice, or just a consequence of me being more invested in stories about women and queer people (or both).
there were only a couple of things that i had mixed feelings about. the first thing is that i felt like zora got slightly less attention as a character compared to sasha. when i finished the book i was like “i definitely would’ve taken an extra chapter from her point of view”; specifically, i would’ve been interested to read more about her initial adjustment to living with her dad and stepmom. the other thing is the “ambiguous” narrator that takes over every few chapters. as a concept, i found this really interesting. i also thought this worked well structurally, and i loved the voice of this narrator (mysterious, a bit creepy, everything i wanted, really). that being said, a few of the chapters from this narrator’s point of view covered so much ground that i found myself getting a little overwhelmed/confused. i also didnt love that we learn who the narrator is at the end; i think it would have been cool for this to stay a mystery, especially since i wondered a couple of times whether the narrator was who they turned out to be.
roz_taylor's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25