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bookishrona's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Drug use, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol
unknownportrait's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
3.75
a tense book switching perspectives between Cory (third person) and Emer (first person) through an addicting story
the first half of this book felt slow, and i kept being pulled away by it, especially from emer’s perspective, because i had no interest in her work or how it connected with the story
i enjoyed the second half much better - hazy and dizzying as we switched between a girl trapped in a dark romance and a mom going to great lengths for her daughter. no quotation marks are used, which is hard to adjust, but it added to the effect - blurring thoughts, words, and actions altogether. i really appreciated the mom’s perspective at this point as it added another layer to a rather overused plot, and i loved the desperation, the willingness it clung to
the ending, a climate of jitteriness, had disappointed me. i was sad to see that several topics — very important/tragic ones at that — were not covered or mentioned at all
overall, i felt that none of the topics or ideas in this book were fully covered - they felt empty. however, it was still a good read that had me on edge
the first half of this book felt slow, and i kept being pulled away by it, especially from emer’s perspective, because i had no interest in her work or how it connected with the story
i enjoyed the second half much better - hazy and dizzying as we switched between a girl trapped in a dark romance and a mom going to great lengths for her daughter. no quotation marks are used, which is hard to adjust, but it added to the effect - blurring thoughts, words, and actions altogether. i really appreciated the mom’s perspective at this point as it added another layer to a rather overused plot, and i loved the desperation, the willingness it clung to
the ending, a climate of jitteriness, had disappointed me. i was sad to see that several topics — very important/tragic ones at that — were not covered or mentioned at all
overall, i felt that none of the topics or ideas in this book were fully covered - they felt empty. however, it was still a good read that had me on edge
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Rape, Self harm, and Vomit
carojust's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This is a trippy story based on Persephone, Demeter and Hades -- an aimless teenage daughter caught in a billionaire's hell, while her mother dissolves, not knowing where she's gone, searching for her along the northeastern coast.
I think there's only so many storylines about extremely beautiful, self-destructive blond waifs that I can take. If "The Guest" by Emma Cline and "My Year of Rest and Relaxation" by Ottessa Moshfegh are your faves, you'll absolutely love "Fruit of the Dead" -- it's formulaic and frenzied, the same drug haze and unconsenting / triggering scenes, the body odor and broken faces combined with "but she's still so pretty, prettier in fact," the trail of gross men who erode innocence, etc. A yacht girl, sugar daddy tale of caution. What anchors this book's plot, and differentiates it from the aforementioned titles, is the deep dive into a mother's complicated relationship with her daughter, and the desperation and sacrifice that come with that version of love. That perspective resonated with me, and I think helped this plot move along. The end is hurried and attempts to paint the mother as a hero, but falls flat for me, and misses an opportunity to build further on the tragedy.
I think there's only so many storylines about extremely beautiful, self-destructive blond waifs that I can take. If "The Guest" by Emma Cline and "My Year of Rest and Relaxation" by Ottessa Moshfegh are your faves, you'll absolutely love "Fruit of the Dead" -- it's formulaic and frenzied, the same drug haze and unconsenting / triggering scenes, the body odor and broken faces combined with "but she's still so pretty, prettier in fact," the trail of gross men who erode innocence, etc. A yacht girl, sugar daddy tale of caution. What anchors this book's plot, and differentiates it from the aforementioned titles, is the deep dive into a mother's complicated relationship with her daughter, and the desperation and sacrifice that come with that version of love. That perspective resonated with me, and I think helped this plot move along. The end is hurried and attempts to paint the mother as a hero, but falls flat for me, and misses an opportunity to build further on the tragedy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
syd91201's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
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? Yes
4.5
I loved this book. It’s a very interesting retelling of the Greek myth of Persephone’s capture by Hades. This book focuses a lot on mother-daughter relationships. Great for a dark summer read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Rape, and Sexual assault
The difficult topics in this book are handled well. Does not condone or romanticize the graphic content.aseel_reads's review
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
If it wasn't for the annoying flowery/lyrical/purple prose x 1000 writing style, this would have been an interesting reflection on mother-daughter relationship. I just couldn't stand the writing style.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Rape, Sexual assault, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
victoria_catherine_shaw's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Alcohol
feralpoodles's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Incredible book. This book already had an advantage over me because 1. I love modernized folk/fairy tale retellings 2. I love Greek mythology 3. I love books that touch on motherhood/womanhood/mother daughter bonds, which is everything this book is, and it definitely lived up to my expectations. Excellent reinterpretation of the myth, really well done. I love romantic Persephone retellings where Hades is a misunderstood bad boy of course, but there are so many that it was refreshing to read a take on the myth that was closer to the original in that it really focused on the complicated but strong relationship between mother and daughter and on the fact that Persephone is a innocent teenager that’s being taken advantage of. The pomegranate seeds being painkillers and her addiction to them being the reason she is cursed to return is such a perfect choice. I picked up on so many clever little references and nuances with just my semi-cursory knowledge of the original myth, so I’m sure there was even more that I didn’t get. Also worked really well on its own as a story. Super dark and gut wrenching, lot of heavy emotions and hard to deal with shit, but really well done. Characters felt really realistic and nuanced. Cory especially was a super accurate portrayal of a naive teenage girl with the kind of feelings and problems that would understandably get her into that kind of situation, even if it was infuriating at times. I absolutely loved the mom too, I loved her story and her perspective was a perfect contrast to Cory’s teenage view of things. Beautifully written, the style really complements the story. Minor thing but I love when books have dialogue without quotation marks and the author does this masterfully. Hard to read (emotionally, narrative-wise it’s extremely engaging and hard to put down), but well worth it
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, and Rape
emilycm's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
gripping modern retelling that has its successes in the prose effortlessly done by rachel lyon. emer and cory's chapters and perspectives balanced rivetingly, and rolo as the looming overlord of the island was a violating rift in the complexity of their relationship, very well done -- not overdone at all as far as the myth goes. "fear, reversed, is rage" after all.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Gaslighting
read up on the myth itself of demeter, persephone, and hades before reading! prepares you for content but also informs the subtle points of the prose.kds247's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This is such a beautiful book. The text is almost like poetry and the two voices for both the mother and daughter are incredibly distinctive. I loved both of their voices more than I have in any other book. Now with that I would want to point out the content warning of rape and abuse. It is very much a factor that drives this book, and if it is a trigger for you do not read it. It was a very dark read but one of the most profound books I’ve read in a while. Specifically surrounding the themes of being a woman in all of its gorgeous and grotesque ways.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Death
rebeccakoury's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug use, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Sexual violence, and Injury/Injury detail