Reviews

I tore through this book in about a week. Being nitpicky there were a few things I didn't love (e.g. the motivation to join the cult in the first place was not well fleshed out, some things seemed a bit inconsistent, the odd line of dialogue I found stilted, etc.) but the setting was compelling, the plot was engaging, and knowing the authors personal history made it more interesting.

pizza_gurl's review against another edition

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slow-paced

4.0

mcurtis2017's review against another edition

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Book had a great story, but it had way more themes of sexual assault, manipulation, and adult-minor relationships than I was prepared for. It wasn’t overly graphic, so I tried to push through it, but I couldn’t finish it. For about 2/3 to 3/4 through it.

Content Warnings

ever_unread's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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? It's complicated

3.25

First off, I have to say that the audiobook I listened to was almost FIFTEEN HOURS long. It was about 3 hours before our main character, Sophie, even moved to the island. About 30% could have been cut out and the story would have lost absolutely nothing critical.

The plot wasn't bad, though at times repetitive and the pacing was off. Though I didn't really feel anything for Sophie, I did like Simon the gardener and the ferry captain who added some humanity and light relief to an otherwise dark tale.

Although it is part of a trilogy, it wraps up well enough that it's not necessary to continue - I wont be.

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