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rivera_morenita's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Misogyny, Rape, and Sexual assault
funkylitchick's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Suicide attempt
overthefroggymoon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual assault, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Homophobia, Incest, and Transphobia
meganmrutter's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Kidnapping
Minor: Sexual assault
blooming_bookshelf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, and Kidnapping
bookmarked642's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
The book follows one particular girl, Celeste. She sees older girls becoming changelings, and often going missing. Then when they return, no longer in their changeling phase, they often can't remember a thing. Walter avoids any explicit details of what happens to these girls, but it's not hard to piece together. When they return, there is a huge amount of stigma around these 'taken' girls, and they are always blamed for what happened to them, rather than the men who actually abducted and abused them. Sound familiar? Yeah.
As I mentioned above, there is a lot of relevance in this book in regards to misogyny in society. Not just the blame on the taken girls, but also the amount of strange rules women and girls have to abide by, including showing their new marks to their fathers. In fact, the girls' bodies in this book are hardly their own; their marks must be regularly documented and interpreted.
There are also some key moments in Celeste's personal life. For one, her brother, Miles, has always been fascinated by the markings on his sister's skin. Boys don't get markings; they're also unable to pursue the career of interpreting, which is what Miles dreams of. When Celeste changes into her adult markings, Miles is desperate to see them, but Celeste refuses. She hides her marks from everyone; the stars on her skin have revealed a terrible truth that she is not ready to face.
There's so much more to this book than what I've written, though. There are girls who'd dreams are dashed by the abuse they suffered; girls who are raising children when they are hardly more than children themselves; there are even girls who are 'fated' to be taken. But I won't get into all that.
If you can't tell, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Even though I know the plot, I think it's one of those books I'd happily reread. It's definitely on my favourites list for 2021 - 5 stars!
Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment
storyfilledflowers's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment
Minor: Drug use
ruthywithas's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault
kng_writes's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Kidnapping
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Homophobia and Suicidal thoughts
nateysmama's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Kidnapping
Minor: Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt