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madameroyale's review against another edition
2.0
Obviously the father’s quest to find mammoths was doomed from the start, so the only really interesting sections of the book were Bess’s, which sadly became less and less frequent as the book went on. The rescue at the end was so unbelievably neat and perfectly timed as to come across as patently ridiculous, which is sad considering the awful things that are happening and have happened to Bess throughout the narrative.
Fantastic cover art, though.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pedophilia, Rape, and Sexual assault
meghar's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
witchintherain's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Pedophilia, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Violence
joe_spracklen17's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A short novella about frontier life and a fool's quest for the impossible and the unknown. This book is only 150 pages long and I would recommend it if you're looking for a quick read.
I was going to give this 4 stars but the last half was kind of a letdown for me personally. I will say the writing itself is very nice, the descriptions and the character came across very well and it's a lovely little read.
Unfortunately, the story didn't go in the direction I was hoping it would. It was a great setup that I was really into and I couldn't wait to see how it was all going to be resolved. It's a shame the payoff was not what I hoped. I understand that not all books will have a happy ending or a satisfying conclusion. But I was hoping this one would and is that too much to ask?
Maybe if it was a little longer and had more time then it would have. Now I understand that it's a story about a fool's journey and you know from the start that what Bellman is searching for isn't there. But I was still hoping to have a satisfying ending and see him learn from that discovery (or lack of discovery in this case).
This book also goes in one very dark direction that I did not see coming and shocked me a little bit.
While personally, I was a little unsatisfied with the ending, overall I would still recommend it as it's a nice and short read, with lovely prose with some enjoyable characters.
I was going to give this 4 stars but the last half was kind of a letdown for me personally. I will say the writing itself is very nice, the descriptions and the character came across very well and it's a lovely little read.
Unfortunately, the story didn't go in the direction I was hoping it would. It was a great setup that I was really into and I couldn't wait to see how it was all going to be resolved. It's a shame the payoff was not what I hoped. I understand that not all books will have a happy ending or a satisfying conclusion. But I was hoping this one would and is that too much to ask?
Maybe if it was a little longer and had more time then it would have. Now I understand that it's a story about a fool's journey and you know from the start that what Bellman is searching for isn't there. But I was still hoping to have a satisfying ending and see him learn from that discovery (or lack of discovery in this case).
This book also goes in one very dark direction that I did not see coming and shocked me a little bit.
While personally, I was a little unsatisfied with the ending, overall I would still recommend it as it's a nice and short read, with lovely prose with some enjoyable characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Pedophilia
Minor: Violence
amethystd28d4's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
sad
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? Yes
4.0
I understand why some would be disappointed, as the synopsis does make it sound like a more whimsical story than it is. The actual story is more about the ways children are failed by those who are meant to protect them, how abusers take advantage of parental absence and groom parental figures as well as children themselves. I can't fault anyone for being upset at getting a far darker journey than they expected. Personally I didn't mind that, so I found it a good, quick evening read. If you can handle the potentially triggering themes I would definitely recommend it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Pedophilia
madelineakw's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- 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? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Pedophilia
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