saskiajva's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-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
4.0
The author has created an incredibly intriguing world full of mysteries and surprises. It starts pretty slow in my opinion but really ramps up by the last 100 pages and is overall worth the read!
Spoiler
I was surprised that the characters spent the majority of the book in New York trying to prove this world even existed. I almost stopped reading around page 200 when they hadn’t gotten to the actual fairy tale world yet, but around page 220 or so the book kicked into high gear and didn’t stop until the very end. I’m glad i stuck it out and the book was worth the read, though i would’ve loved to have gotten to spend more time inside the magical Hinterland as it’s truly the most spectacular writing. The set up did pay off well though, so trust the author and enjoy the read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Racism, Murder, Body horror, and Gore
Moderate: Suicide and Gun violence
Minor: Alcohol
vplett4's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Blood
theastronautmp3's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- 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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Gore
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
Minor: Police brutality and Racism
inkylabyrinth's review against another edition
medium-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Self harm
dreamofbookspines's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
3.5
Like dark fairytales? This is for you. Fan of cold main characters? Also for you. The weaving together of fairytales is maybe a bit clumsy in places, but mostly the retellings hang well together. Albert's writing style is good, descriptive and lovely and haunting.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Blood
I had a hard time getting into it, though that may have been my fault; I'd started reading before I was ready for a new book.olliet23's review against another edition
The plot took a turn into something I didn’t “sign up for”. And a major character is casually killed… I liked where it was going before this major turn
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Blood
sunnydale's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
As someone who loves fairy tales and fairy tale scholarship, I felt so seen. Beneath the story, which was compelling on its own, was the author's clear understanding of why we tell fairy tales and why they hold power over us.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Kidnapping, Blood, and Violence
Minor: Animal death, Sexual harassment, Suicide, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Cursing, Classism, and Gun violence
The protagonist is kidnapped as a child, but is unharmed and not sexually abused in any way. The kidnapper's identity is later revealed, and he never intended to hurt her.krhea's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Kidnapping, and Cursing
Minor: Suicide
jblovegood's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
It's an interesting concept, though some of the story beats didn't fully make sense to me and the character development didn't feel very compelling. I still enjoyed it, but think it could have been done better.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Physical abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Injury/injury detail, Murder, Blood, Child abuse, and Body horror
daniellelouise's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood