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bookish_optimist's review against another edition
It was much too heavy and quite graphic in some parts. The book is meant to be disturbing, and I knew that going in, but I was more effected than I thought I would be. I got about half way through and just couldn't keep going. That being said, I knew I was reading outside my comfort zone when I started. It is to the writer's credit that they were able to depict everything so realistically and in such that gut wrenching way never change the book for checking to see how far and I got and the app I used does not allow you to go back and look, so I just added a time to indicate I listened to a good bit of it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail
skbgfd's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, and Mass/school shootings
Moderate: Misogyny and War
Minor: Grief and Injury/Injury detail
mariacristinagarcia's review
dark
tense
fast-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Lilith is the story of Elisabeth, a teacher whose young son was seriously injured in a school shooting, one in which she went against school policy but shephered her own class to safety. She becomes incensed with powerful men, particularly a well-known gun shop owner who decides to run for President on a policy of removing any and all gun controls, using the school shooting as some sort of rationale. She has had enough and decides to take matters into her own hands. Her rage and fury were viscerally presented and had a part of me cheering her on. However, the book goes on to show the cost and unintended consequences of her actions, coming to a nuanced stand on violent revenge. While it paints Elizabeth's desire as totally understandable, it in no way promotes or supports it. I loved that this book also highlighted the impact of shootings on those who are seriously injured but survive since they are often forgotten, the focus being on those who lost their lives. The book has a mysterious, almost magical feel in places that didn't always work for me, and the author is perhaps guilty of letting Elisabeth too easily escape any real consequences for her actions. But overall, the strengths outweighed the weakness. The set-up had me hooked from the get-go, and my attention never wandered. I found this propulsive and cathartic and really enjoyed the reading experience.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death and Misogyny
lizziaha's review against another edition
2.5
While I think there’s a lot to be said about the topic of school shootings, I feel like Rickstad missed a lot of the nuance. His identification of misogyny as a driving force behind gun violence touches on something innate, but felt very surface level. The complete pivot to focusing ONLY on men felt disingenuous to the other power imbalances at play here.
Aside from that, much of the plot and commentary felt completely implausible. For one, Elisabeth is constantly talking about how she’s not religious, but the entire crux of the book is based on religious commentary. (Not to mention that that’s also very surface level— Eve ill, evil, history, herstory was just a little silly.) Secondly, Elisabeth demonstrates immense ability under pressure—her heroic actions at the school, killing 5 armed men without even a scratch. But that said, she panics anytime anyone asks her a question. It just doesn’t add up. She made so many mistakes, it’s a wonder she was never caught. And like, that’s how murder investigations go sometimes, but good god she could’ve been a little neater about it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Violence, Blood, Mass/school shootings, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Pedophilia
lazarr0103's review against another edition
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Enjoyable writing and a quick pace made me unable to put this book down. I found the subject matter interesting and especially relevant today.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail
ketsy95's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Gun violence, Blood, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail