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readwithjulia_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
★★★★☆
[thank you NetGalley & Daphne Press for this e-ARC copy of the book in exchange for an honest review; the book is out in the UK on 6th of August ‘24]
WOW! where do i start?
the author’s style of writing is so enthralling and despite just how gory the book was at times, i still couldn’t stop reading to find out what happens next! as a cis neurodivergent woman, it’s interesting to me how much i related to Silas; the portrayal of his struggles was just wow, eye opening! i think that the all of the themes - while at times extremely graphic, were handled with a lot of care and well-intended so it made this read very interesting & relatable/emotional!
die hard stan of Elias and Daphne 💘
honestly the best way i can describe this book, is AHS coven (season 3) & asylum (season 2) slightly crossed over with bridgerton; but the protagonist is an autistic trans teenager who wants to be a surgeon - does that even make sense? i think it does - if you read this book, you’ll get it!
i think the only drawback which is why i haven’t rated this a 5*, is that at times it felt like there were too many characters without much character building (more specifically the other girls), i found it slightly confusing keeping up who was who up until about 80% in; likewise i felt the same about the different “main themes” of the book at the beginning - i.e., i couldn’t really understand the purpose of the veil, how it works, whether there was magic involved or was it all paranormal? i feel like these were kind of resolved towards the end but i did feel quite confused for at least the first half of the book!
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Gore, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
river_jean_sterling's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cursing, Deadnaming, Homophobia, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Toxic relationship, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Toxic friendship, and Dysphoria
hannahrogers'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? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Deadnaming, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Abortion, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Classism
Minor: Vomit and War
circinus's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Miscarriage and Suicide attempt
zee_lee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Cursing, Deadnaming, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Torture, Transphobia, Pregnancy, and Dysphoria
Minor: Body shaming, Rape, and Vomit
melist6's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Physical abuse, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Mental illness, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, and Dysphoria
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
mobymaize's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment
breadbummer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
- Trans protagonist (written by a trans author) ✅
- Murder mystery ✅
- Set in the Victorian era ✅
- Upfront trigger warnings ✅
- VENGEANCE!!!! (no bs about forgiveness) ✅
I cannot recommend this novel enough!! As I said, though, please note the HEFTY list of content warnings before jumping in. White makes sure to cover the big hitters like anti-transness and ableism, but it should also be noted that
Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Miscarriage, Rape, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Lesbophobia, and Colonisation
Minor: Animal death, Genocide, Infertility, Sexual content, and Terminal illness
There was no specific option for animal dissections or something close enough to it listed here, so I thought I'd make note of it. Everything that is done to animals in this book is post-mortem, though it's still graphic.cluelessavian's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Child abuse, Deadnaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abortion, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Bullying, Cursing, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, and Outing
Minor: Miscarriage and Rape
clarke's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Outing, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism