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quillsand's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.75
that said the other 95% of the book was disturbing as all hell and bleak as fuck. but like, in a good way. i read this whilst at a festival and i kept returning to my tent to read instead of watching acts. the vivid descriptions of scurvy gave me trouble sleeping and i stopped readig it in public places because i couldn't control my facial expressions of horror/revulsion/despair. also i think scurvy has now replaced both pregnancy and getting my wisdom teeth taken out on my list of greatest fears, meaning it is now #2 behind moths.
parts that really got to me included
i just think it says something that depsite having watched the show and knowing how everything plays out and already being very distrubred by the show, the book managed to somehow provoke an even stronger reaction and kept me so gripped i got through all 750 pages in under 5 days whilst being at a music festival. book ratings are based off of my connection to the book and despite all it's issues i sure did feel many things whilst reading this!!! the real terror is the slowly creeping inevitability of certain death and the fact that we know!! we know that no matter how hard these character struggle, they will all be claimed by the ice by the time the book is finished!! there's beauty in that and in the sheer humanity of how different people respond to the certainty of death in different ways. makes me a little bit insane if i think about it too much.
i do think the supernatural aspects were the weakest point for me and the last 80 pages were therefore not as strong as the rest but only because the realism of the horror was already at its peak (also the aforementioned ick about using Inuit culture as a backdrop for horror fiction but anyway) with the scurvy and the frostbite and the starvation and whatnot.
id on't know man sometimes you just need a horrifying horrific tragedy heavily based on real events that deeply disturbs and upsets you in order to cope!!!!
i think i am going to rewatch the show now.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
gayshark's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.0
Graphic: Sexual content, Suicide, and Violence
Moderate: Cannibalism
I kept being like “eh, maybe I won’t finish this”. I’m going to be honest, it takes some problematic turns right at the end which didn’t leave me feeling pleasantly unsettled, it just made me feel like I should have listened to my first instinct to stop when Lady Silence was introduced. I think she was a fine character, but ooohhhhh boyyy did the book fetishize her and her culture. Mind you, I don’t know if the author is indigenous. So maybe this is a knee jerk reaction from a non-indigenous person. The mood and atmosphere are awesome! Just once I had gotten my fill of the vibe, there wasn’t a lot for me.mousey's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
derberner'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
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Death, Violence, Blood, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gun violence, Racism, Sexual content, and Cannibalism
Minor: Suicide, Torture, and Vomit
cryptogay's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
The beginning was very promising, and I thought it was going to be fairly reflective & heavy on metaphor & allegory, and honestly maybe it was, but at some point I stopped being able to pay attention to anything but the narrative - it is a very long book. The horror in this book IS horrifying, in a very visceral way, and those parts definitely work. The plot is, well, a lot. I cannot speak to the accuracy or appropriateness of the pieces of Inuit lifestyle & belief that were shared in this book, but I do know that I did not like how Lady Silence was treated at any point. I especially did not care for the last few chapters, which to me did not need to be from
I wanted to like this book but I don't know that I really did.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Death, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
nikkiacat's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, and Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism
Minor: Homophobia, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury
hellebore's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Death and Sexual content
Moderate: Gun violence
Minor: Alcoholism, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Cannibalism, and Murder
theleppy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, and Murder
Moderate: Torture and Vomit
Minor: Homophobia