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20sidedbi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Transphobia, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
tetedump's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Car accident, and Gaslighting
allergy reactionelyssarenae'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? It's complicated
3.5
Otherwise, an intriguing premise and good writing! I give the first three sections a 4/5⭐️ and the last section a 1.5/5⭐️ for a 3.5/5⭐️ overall.
Graphic: Car accident and Death of parent
Moderate: Animal death, Cancer, Physical abuse, and Suicide
Minor: Self harm
viji's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicide, Transphobia, and Grief
nu_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Despite the book claiming to span across many times, it is mostly linear safe for a couple of flashbacks and flash forwards in the earlier books. To me the book was more about Kalki and him trying to reconcile with the traumatizing family/father. He was lied to from a very young age, and being told that he had to bear the burden of his parents sacrifices. In a way this coincides with a lot of themes in South Asian culture where we have this fake reverence towards beings that are godlike, but not actually caring about them as individuals. Allowing our ability to put them on a pedestal of reference and divinity to essentially not let us treat them in a respectful and humane manner.
But his horrible person of a father was of course only thinking about himself and of the fortune that he could make. The main themes of this book like religion/seduction of belief is basically told through the trauma that Kalki goes through at the hands of a narcissistic parent who will do anything for power, including but not limited to, marketing a blue baby as a god too desperate worshipers and forcing his family to play along because he prefers to manipulate people into furthering his own agenda and his own plan (one that is very flimsy upon close inspection).
It's a disturbingly beautiful book, with the writing style so simple yet loud and incisive. It's essentially Kalki retelling his story, looking back at his time at the ashram with nostalgia and bringing us into the crux of his naivity during his childhood. It really forces you to think about how badly people want to believe in something (not necessarily just religion), and even after the "illusion" falls how there will still be people choosing to believe in the lie because it brings them comfort and is better than confronting their entire worldview falling apart.
It's a heavy book, especially in the child/domestic abuse area, so I encourage anyone who's not in the best place mentally to tread lightly. But if you're able to read the book I wholeheartedly reccomend it!
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Sexual content
Moderate: Death, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, Stalking, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Kidnapping and Cultural appropriation
renniewest's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
the abuse and manipulation kalki endures is very impactful, and it’s understandable that this would affect him as an adult when he realizes what he’s been through, but the book ends leaving kalki in a perpetual state of traumatized. i wanted better closure for him, and if i’m going to be honest he disappointed me in the end. i also really wanted him to give lakshman a big fuck you in the end, so that was really disappointing.
i also don’t like the attitude with which believers are depicted in many scenes, either with pity as victims of manipulation or blind idiots. i really don’t know what this book was trying to say.
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Physical abuse, and Grief
taviarz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Cancer, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicide, and Transphobia
sknappy1's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Child abuse and Physical abuse
Moderate: Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Sexual content, Suicide, Terminal illness, Transphobia, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, and Classism
Minor: Animal death and Vomit
gattolinos_nerdy_nook's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Though out this book I was waiting for something more engaging for me to happen. Characters came and then left so quickly that you don't have time to feel attached to them. This makes it hard later in the book to even care about the characters because they won't be relevant in two chapters time (an exaggeration of time but they did come and go quickly). I found that I had no real connection to the story as Kalki was not a very interesting character despite his circumstance.
So for this book I thought it was interesting at times, hence the 3 stars and that fact that I didn't DNF it, though by the end it does leave for more to be desired as the ending felt very unsatisfying to me.
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Suicide, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Drug use, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Animal death and Transphobia
ahliahreads'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
4.75
Graphic: Child abuse and Suicide
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Alcohol