bethanylouise17's review against another edition

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challenging dark medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.25


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emilyberrios's review against another edition

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challenging dark funny informative mysterious tense 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

I don't regret reading this book, but it was certainly a challenge, and I do not plan on ever re-reading it.

In simplest terms: If toxic masculinity were a book, it would be this one. If you thought this book was about the agency of strong beautiful women... you are very wrong (as I was). 

A more complex perspective: This book could also be interpreted as a metaphor. The female characters have no agency, no control over their futures or their bodies. Their beauty is to be brutalized and fetishized. These beautiful women could be a metaphor for Indonesia as a country and the various powers or men who colonized it, waged war against it, loved it, hated it, abused it. While the story telling is not linear (and sometimes very difficult to follow) generally speaking, this is a historical fiction in a magical realism setting which follows generations of women who originate from a girl taken into servitude as the concubine of a Dutch man, a plantation owner. This initiates the overarching plot of revenge, but all the subplots as well. The colonial identity of a country is generally mired in trauma and abuse, and this book reflects that.

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neridah's review against another edition

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dark informative sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

I regret reading this book 

There is interesting historical and cultural information in here

But it's not worth it 

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mrtvavrana's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0


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thursdd4y's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25


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nadsbrn's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

Contrary to how popular this book is... I don't like it. 
I don't think that this is for me.
It's not because of the explicit language but I just don't like how it jump from one side story to another with too much detail eventhough it all make sense eventually.
I struggled to finish this book, I had to push myself to not just abbandon it.
I felt nothing except for nauseous from all the incest and disgusting sex between the in law and also the rape. ESPECIALLY THE RAPE. AND THE GROOMING. If you love female sexual abuse, this book has all of it. The only interesting part for me is only the history part. 

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augie_'s review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

The story is complex and well-woven but I found the laissez-faire approach to sexual assault and violence very off-putting.  I may be missing some context from the mythology used as inspiration,  but this was definitely a really rough read.

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raquelmozart_123's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

I wanted to love it so bad but the end could never suffice for all the wrongs and pain I had to go through as a reader (female and non white at that). 

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allyem_reads's review against another edition

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1.0


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haileyybean's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.25


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