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miaaa_lenaaa's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Was a really big fan of the writing in this i just think that scene didnt have quite enough of a lead up it just kind of happened and then was over?
‘Who are the ghosts again, us or our dead? Maybe they imagined us first, maybe we were conjured out of the deep past by other minds.’
‘The whole of life, I thought, is doing harm, we live by killing, as if there were any being of which that is not the case.’
‘Your dad's not God, she said, he can't do anything he likes to you.’
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Vomit, and Injury/Injury detail
feelincelestial's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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? It's complicated
3.5
I loved the writing and the nuanced portrayal of a teenager in an abusive environment. The way that Silvie recognizes her parent’s behavior is wrong and resents them but also feels the need to have their backs around others and defend their behavior is tragically realistic. I enjoyed the writing style, besides the fact that dialogue was neither put in quotations or italicized, which made it difficult to follow who was speaking and when at times. I also found the ending a bit rushed and abrupt. If the ending had felt more satisfying, this would easily have been a 4-5 star read for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
readingspells's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
3.5
This is my second novella by this author and I really like how she writes the intensity of a situation.
This book holds a mirror up to modern day humanity and makes you question how far we have really come from the iron age. It looks sharply at misogyny but also at racism and nationalism.
Slyvie is our narrator, who with her family, Mum (abused by Dad) and Dad ( a raging violent misogynist are on a 2 week 'holiday' with people from the university living like Iron Age people.
The author captures the fear Slyvie has for her Father and his powerful presence in her life. He comes across as a simmer pot of rage that could flip at any moment. He is not particular bothered by the other men in the group knowing and they do nothing to really dampen down the awful way he treats his wife or daughter. In fact as time goes on they mostly become party to it, with it all culminating in a re-enactment of a ritual sacrifice.
The ending a little abrupt and we are left wondering how Slyvie does beyond this moment. I feel like a couple more pages could have helped to bring her and her Mother back together and some sort of slight conclusion for them hence the 3.5 star rating as whilst the book is a quick and dark read the ending left me feeling unsatisfied.
Content Warning for graphic violent and verbal abuse.
This book holds a mirror up to modern day humanity and makes you question how far we have really come from the iron age. It looks sharply at misogyny but also at racism and nationalism.
Slyvie is our narrator, who with her family, Mum (abused by Dad) and Dad ( a raging violent misogynist are on a 2 week 'holiday' with people from the university living like Iron Age people.
The author captures the fear Slyvie has for her Father and his powerful presence in her life. He comes across as a simmer pot of rage that could flip at any moment. He is not particular bothered by the other men in the group knowing and they do nothing to really dampen down the awful way he treats his wife or daughter. In fact as time goes on they mostly become party to it, with it all culminating in a re-enactment of a ritual sacrifice.
The ending a little abrupt and we are left wondering how Slyvie does beyond this moment. I feel like a couple more pages could have helped to bring her and her Mother back together and some sort of slight conclusion for them hence the 3.5 star rating as whilst the book is a quick and dark read the ending left me feeling unsatisfied.
Content Warning for graphic violent and verbal abuse.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Violence
srdawson's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, and Violence
holdenreg11's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
3.0
Ended quickly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse and Violence
dreadspawn's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-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
0.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Vomit
gellyreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
This book is not what I was expecting. I think this is a good way to show how abuse affects people, but I wish it was scarier and/or a more compelling story for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Violence, and Xenophobia
dijon_supply's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, and Violence
poisoned_icecream's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Silvie and her parents are participating in an Iron Age reenactment with a professor and three students. Her dad is a cringey racist and misogynist piece of shit who hits his wife and daughter. Silvie and her mom are too afraid to stand up to him because he is loud and obnoxious. It is very obvious that to her dad (forgot his name), the reenactment is really an attempt to live out his pathetic fantasy in which there are no immigrants and women are there merely to cook and clean, especially when he and the professor make a ghost wall out of rabbit and cow skulls to keep out their imaginary enemies. This entire book is clearly a huge middle finger to Brexit and I love it so much.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body shaming, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Classism
tey_lynn's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail