Reviews with content warning for Slavery - Crossings

Reviews tagging 'Slavery'

Crossings by Alex Landragin

6 reviews

serennognos's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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bringmybooks's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-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

3.5

I read the preface in one sitting and then the other 359 pages in another sitting so I was obviously very into it but also … wtf did I just read

B̷R̷I̷N̷G̷ ✨ 𝗕𝗢𝗥𝗥𝗢𝗪 ✨ B̷Y̷P̷A̷S̷S̷

the pros:

I love the idea of the Crossings, and every time I could sense one was coming I didn’t want to put the book down - there’s almost this plausibility to all of this; when was the last time you looked into someone’s eyes, and they back into yours, for 4-5 minutes straight?
Even as I don’t know what I just read, and I’m not even 100% sure how much I genuinely enjoyed it (??), I know it’s a book that will stay with me for some time.

the cons (read at your discretion):

I think the entire novel could have been strengthened with more of the backstory of Alula & Koahu’s love story - flashbacks interspersed throughout, maybe? As it stands you’re kind of led to believe that this entire thing is driven by their love and connection for one another but also have nothing to give this credence.
^ That being said, I think the strongest part of the book is dealing with the moral and ethical implications of the blind crossings, and in the initial crossing that Alula did to follow Koahu - I think (I got a little confused) that the reason she was so worried about him is that she knew he would not remember and be lost to her, but after a certain amount of time why are they still being drawn to one another (that goes back up to the point above).
There’s a looootttttttt of moral ambiguity here - I don’t know that I particularly liked the characters, but I did think they were drawn well.
I’m not really sure why the author chose to use Coco Chanel in the way he did; maybe because she would have had the clout to try and draw Madeline out? (also, Coco Chanel = not the best, and not because her soul was stolen by a time crossing madman - more so seems she was opportunistic no matter the harm it caused others, which was a lot)
Unless I totally missed it, the book is left open ended in a way that is not enjoyable - what happened after he became the doctor and she was hiding out from Coco? Did they find one another again? Did the evil madman cross out of Coco right after the war, or stay with her until she died in 1971?

Ultimately, I feel like I would recommend this book with the following caveats:
1. Try it in the baroness sequence, where you’re jumping around like a “choose your own adventure” novel - I feel like that helps keep you invested and draws you through any slower parts of the story.
2. If you’re not into it within the first 3-4 page jumps, I think you’re safe to DNF. *shrug*

Note: I read it in the baroness sequence as my first read of 2024, and plan to read it in the traditional front-to-back order for my last read of 2024!

Further note: IYL The Seven 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, I think you would like this one!

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beancastro's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

incredible. a murder mystery through time with lost love and history, couldn’t have been written in a more compelling way. loved the alternate sequence

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comfycozytomes's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional informative 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

3.5

The beginning and some of the middle was a bit stop and go for me in that I would be looking ahead, trying to see how many pages I had left, but the third short story really captivated me. In all I did enjoy this book.

I also, for some reason thought, the author through the Baroness Sequence had created an entirely new FOURTH story within/from the story he had initially created; though upon starting it I realized it was the same story, but from two different starting points going back and forth following the lifetimes of Alula and Koahu. Which is equally interesting! I think I might have enjoyed the book more if I had read the Baroness Sequence instead of just cover to cover. I also love how with that perspective, it’s like you are tracing/chasing their stories throughout time as one intertwined linear path

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aurorasandsadprose13's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This was an amazing book!! I was totally engaged with this story and format. This was what I wanted from The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue (but didn’t get). I read in the Baroness sequence and think that is really the best way to read this book. I do wish the ending was a bit more definitive, but I sort of interpreted it as Alula/Koahu getting the story out there in order to remember. I just truly loved this concept and loved flipping through the book in this sequence to get the story. The only complaint I have about this book is just that I wish we got a bit more background on Alula and Koahu’s original story, like their personalities and love story. I think that would have helped give more important context to the story.

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maemma's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I really liked the baroness sequence of the book but towards the end it got repetitive/boring. I really enjoyed the writing style and how it’s variations added to the plot. would recommend but it can be dense at times.

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