abitbetterbooks'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? It's complicated
3.0
I listened to the first 60% in audiobook and finished the rest in hardcopy which I definitely preferred, which meant I could skim a bit when the pacing was kind of weird, which it frequently was. The ending was so abrupt that if I hadn’t read reviews saying “what just happened??” I honestly would have thought I was missing a page in my copy.
While Marigold was a very compelling protagonist and I was rooting for her (and her brother Sammy, who I adored!) I felt like the subject matter of the book, such as her struggles with addiction and substance use, did not match how juvenile the narration felt. I’m not sure if that was in part due to the audio narrator that I didn’t love, but some editorial choices just didn’t really match up for me.
All in all, not a bad way to spend a few days in October when you’re in the mood for something creepy, but I wouldn’t say it’s a must-read.
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Drug abuse, Addiction, Kidnapping, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Blood and Violence
Minor: Pedophilia
Pedophelia mention (past false accusations)islesbiyana'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
3.0
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Gaslighting, Addiction, Animal cruelty, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Racism
Minor: Pedophilia
emzhay's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Extra content warning since storygraphy still doesn’t have a specific tag for this:
Spoiler
insects/insect horror. The main character has a phobia of bedbugs and discusses them in graphic detail very often.Graphic: Mental illness, Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Incest, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Child death, Classism, Gaslighting, and Racism
Minor: Pedophilia and Kidnapping
insect horror, bed bugslovealwaysadi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Drug abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Drug use, Gore, Addiction, Colonisation, Cursing, Death, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Blood, Body horror, and Classism
Moderate: Hate crime, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, and Abandonment
Minor: Confinement, Alcohol, Excrement, Racism, and Grief
psistillreadyou's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Drug abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Drug use, and Addiction
Moderate: Police brutality, Racism, and Gore
Minor: Pedophilia
peachani'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? Yes
3.75
Spoiler
The Foundation is finally exposedGraphic: Fire/Fire injury, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Addiction, Blood, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Kidnapping
Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, Medical content, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, and Pedophilia
booktechnerd's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Fire/Fire injury, and Drug use
Minor: Addiction, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, and Pedophilia
emily_mh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Drug use, Drug abuse, Addiction, Racism, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Gore, Classism, Violence, Cursing, Ableism, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Blood, and Kidnapping
Minor: Colonisation, Excrement, Sexism, Transphobia, Vomit, Body shaming, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Medical content, Death, Car accident, Murder, Physical abuse, Animal death, Alcohol, Pregnancy, Rape, Child abuse, Misogyny, Medical trauma, Sexual content, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Homophobia, Child death, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Gun violence, and Confinement
Graphic warnings for insects, gentrification, imprisonment, anaphylactic shock, divorce Moderate warnings for eye trauma, sleep paralysis, self injury, blackmail, missing loved one Minor warnings for loss of a loved one, bomb, menstruation, theft Use of the ableist s-slur. It is my understanding there is a different culture around this word in the US? But I don't know why it was not edited out in the UK/Commonwealth copy.kstericker'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
3.75
Graphic: Addiction, Panic attacks/disorders, Fire/Fire injury, Classism, Mental illness, Drug abuse, and Racism
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Violence, and Medical content
Minor: Child abuse and Pedophilia
lovestory26'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: Panic attacks/disorders, Addiction, and Drug abuse
Moderate: Cultural appropriation, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Racism, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Blood, Grief, and Vomit