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sunn_bleach's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
Much quicker read than I anticipated. Overall, I feel kinda disappointed - mostly because it wasn't as fucked up as some of the recommenders stated it would be. A lot of the plot points felt like standard love triangles, and although it starts off strong with the main character falling in strange love with the troll child, it doesn't really explore that in a way I found actually unnerving. It was treated like rehabilitating a stray dog for 140 pages? And while there are some strange obsessive factors lurking underneath (including one very uncomfortable orgasm), they were never anything more than offhand before getting back into the banality.
Still, I did like it for the eventual macro-plot of it being a twist on the folktale of trolls stealing maidens to take into their mountain halls. I just wish that aspect were more of the focus rather than 140 pages of "oh no my weird dog has worms" and then 100 more pages of "my weird dog is jealous of my lovers" before anything approaching a climax (heh).
Still, I did like it for the eventual macro-plot of it being a twist on the folktale of trolls stealing maidens to take into their mountain halls. I just wish that aspect were more of the focus rather than 140 pages of "oh no my weird dog has worms" and then 100 more pages of "my weird dog is jealous of my lovers" before anything approaching a climax (heh).
Graphic: Pedophilia, Sexual content, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Injury/Injury detail
ivan_of_the_endless's review
challenging
dark
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Osasi yllättää. Stressaavaa luettavaa mutta super hyvin kirjoitettu. Suoraan sanottuna melko ällöttävä, mutta en jättäisi lukematta sen takia.
Moderate: Pedophilia
lessice's review
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Blood
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Racism, and Sexual content
mysimas's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this one. I was also disgusted by some aspects of it, which was probably the author’s intention — but why exactly she intended to disgust her readers with the inclusion of pedophilic themes is beyond me. As if the zoophilia wasn’t bad enough.
Her overall approach to the trolls as a species reminded me of Čapek’s War with the Newts, in which the newts were also discussed with the help of several ‘scientific’ documents as well as other written texts of various forms. While Čapek made all of them up himself, Sinisalo seems to have found actual pre-existing literary texts involving trolls? As I’m not Finnish, I only managed to read The Unknown Soldier and don’t recall if the fleeing mention of trolls had been there originally.
Some parts of the book were a tad ridiculous. Some of them I ascribe to the translation, which was at times a little clunky; for other parts the author is clearly responsible, such as the ending.If the book ever gains a wider fandom, I will be here, waiting for the fun Bonnie and Clyde-esque romp of Mikael and the trolls. The crack is gonna write itself, folks!
Also on a sidenote, Angel really needs to find a better nickname, because towards Dr. Spiderman, Palomita and Pessi, he was anything but. (Especially Palomita. How could he just leave her??) Heck, even the icky Ecke deserved a better treatment. The only guy worse than Angel was the advertisement dude, and that’s such a low bar.
Her overall approach to the trolls as a species reminded me of Čapek’s War with the Newts, in which the newts were also discussed with the help of several ‘scientific’ documents as well as other written texts of various forms. While Čapek made all of them up himself, Sinisalo seems to have found actual pre-existing literary texts involving trolls? As I’m not Finnish, I only managed to read The Unknown Soldier and don’t recall if the fleeing mention of trolls had been there originally.
Some parts of the book were a tad ridiculous. Some of them I ascribe to the translation, which was at times a little clunky; for other parts the author is clearly responsible, such as the ending.
Also on a sidenote, Angel really needs to find a better nickname, because towards Dr. Spiderman, Palomita and Pessi, he was anything but. (Especially Palomita. How could he just leave her??) Heck, even the icky Ecke deserved a better treatment. The only guy worse than Angel was the advertisement dude, and that’s such a low bar.
Graphic: Confinement, Toxic relationship, and Trafficking
Minor: Pedophilia
keijuhylly's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
2.75
Minor: Pedophilia
transmasc's review against another edition
1.0
Disgusted me, in a way that made reading it unenjoyable
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Pedophilia
Minor: Racism
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