toastrats's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Death, and Sexism
Moderate: Pregnancy
Minor: Lesbophobia, Body shaming, Bullying, Drug use, and Homophobia
stonefruits's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Sexism, Miscarriage, Lesbophobia, Confinement, Infertility, Suicide attempt, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Gore, Emotional abuse, Animal death, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Toxic friendship, Physical abuse, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
cjreadstoomuch's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Pregnancy, Sexism, Misogyny, Bullying, and Death
Moderate: Violence, Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Outing, Lesbophobia, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Sexual content
bookishchef'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
2.25
But the rest...
Oh the rest...
I went into this book with low expectations. To be reminiscent of the Handmaid's Tale is quite a big claim, so my expectations plummeted to the lowest circle of Hell.
And that's where my expectations would have remained if the first quarter of this book wasn't so good.
The mystery is interesting. And the flower language worldbuilding feels very unique and not too far removed from our own world at the same time. The author keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire time. Is the magic real? Who are the Poachers and what motivates them? Why is Kiersten such a bitch? They're interesting questions, and the answers weren't bad either but the way we got those answers...
At about the 25% mark the story starts to drag a bit. This is made up for by Liggett's excellent writing. At this point, you don't know whether Tierney is spiraling into madness or whether the world around her is truly mad. The plot doesn't move forward, but the story remains interesting.
Then at the 50% it all goes to shit.
Suddenly, we get introduced to the most bland love interest I've ever read about. He has no personality and falls for Tierney for no discernible reason. And of course, Tierney loves him back despite him having the personality of unseasoned chicken.
The author rushes us through a love story. And when I say rushes, I mean RUSHES.
And then, after some shenanigans we're back to the plot and the mystery and the book is actually really good again until the last fucking chapter.
What the fuck was that love story doing in this book? This story really really really did not need a romance plotline. The book would have been an easy 3 (or maybe even 4) star for me if the romance had not been there. It takes away from the themes of the book and undercuts its message. I don't understand how you write a book about sisterhood and fighting the patriarchy, and then have the MC only care about her male love interest for half of the book. Aaaaaaaaaaaaah.
The book also has very white feminism vibes. Can't quite put my finger on what exactly rubs me the wrong way, but to begin with, the book has 0 characters of colour
Graphic: Sexism, Suicide, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Murder, Death, Animal death, Blood, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, Violence, Religious bigotry, and Medical content
Moderate: Vomit and Lesbophobia
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Drug use, and Infertility
grace_lynn08's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Sexism, Torture, Misogyny, Suicide, Cannibalism, Adult/minor relationship, Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, Homophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Infidelity, Incest, Violence, Murder, Lesbophobia, Gore, Grief, Domestic abuse, and Death
ann_the_imp's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Vomit, Blood, Bullying, Murder, Death, Emotional abuse, Violence, Confinement, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Grief, Hate crime, Infertility, Sexual content, Excrement, Toxic friendship, Animal death, Pregnancy, Sexism, Addiction, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, Drug use, and Emotional abuse
elysianbud'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
3.5
Quick read, finished it in one day.
I do like that at the end of the book the main character hasn't magically fixed everything in society through the power of gutsy honesty, and that it takes a more realistic approach of showing small steps towards change instead.
Graphic: Misogyny, Vomit, Confinement, Gore, Body horror, Death, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Drug use, Stalking, Blood, Medical content, Murder, Suicide attempt, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, and Suicide
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Cannibalism, Lesbophobia, Outing, Physical abuse, and Homophobia
tays_books's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Bullying, Misogyny, Murder, Pregnancy, Blood, Death, Child death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Violence, Sexism, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Child abuse, Excrement, Drug use, Homophobia, Infidelity, Sexual content, Stalking, Pedophilia, Animal death, Cannibalism, Animal cruelty, Lesbophobia, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, and Vomit
Minor: Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, Incest, and Infertility
danibee's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
The ending was very satisfying, and I liked that it confronted change within a system vs. outside it. Also - so fast-paced! I read the first 300 pages in 1 day and finished the whole thing in 2 days.
Spoiler
But let’s talk about the ending? Who else was like, is her pregnancy a twist ending or did the author just completely forget to write in the details? Did I black out for some key hints? I know they kept calling here a wh*re, but they were throwing purity culture slurs around quite a bit. And did she get pregnant from having sex one time? ughhhhhhhhh. Has anyone noticed that so many female main characters who don’t think they’re special are actually the MOST fertile? That trope is so grating. I realize that Stockholm syndrome is probably the biggest cliché here, but somehow that is more palpable to me than fertility while under duress and recovering from starvation.Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Lesbophobia, Religious bigotry, Body horror, Death, Mental illness, Murder, Sexism, Suicide, Torture, Violence, and Gore
winnie_is_swag's review
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Misogyny, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Blood, Animal death, Grief, Adult/minor relationship, Excrement, Gore, Death, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Violence, and Bullying
Moderate: Pregnancy, Medical content, Vomit, Sexual content, and Infertility
Minor: Sexual content, Rape, Classism, Abandonment, Homophobia, Cursing, Lesbophobia, and Alcohol