The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
ravensalwaysreading's review
4.0
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Sexual assault, Torture, Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Suicide attempt, Child death, Cursing, Gaslighting, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual violence, Death, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Antisemitism, Animal death, Gore, Grief, Islamophobia, Religious bigotry, and Sexism
turtleofhades's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Child death, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, and Suicide
Moderate: Child abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Animal death, Bullying, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Forced institutionalization, Sexual harassment, Child death, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Abandonment, Gun violence, Domestic abuse, Islamophobia, Torture, Animal cruelty, Blood, Cursing, Mental illness, Classism, Death, Grief, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, and Sexism
monstersinspace's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Torture, Violence, Animal cruelty, Child death, Death, Fatphobia, Animal death, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Sexism, Body shaming, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Gun violence
geerbeer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Graphic: Sexual assault, Misogyny, Child death, Body horror, Animal cruelty, Death, Rape, Blood, Animal death, Suicide attempt, Suicide, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Physical abuse and Racism
vezreads's review against another edition
- 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
3.25
But like I said the plot was really good so I had to give this book a few stars
Graphic: Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Animal death, Misogyny, Suicide attempt, Homophobia, and Suicide
Moderate: Sexual violence
tbd24's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I have a difficult time rating this because i feel like, technically, in some ways, it was a pretty good book. The writing was lush and evocative, and sense of horror well maintained and accentuated with moments of humor or banality or otherwise. However, I feel like the book had a lot of problems with realistic character choices. Tyler and Jaden are the only two people who feel like fully realized characters who have motive and personality and make wise and unwise choices. Every other named character makes choices that are convenient to the plot and every unnamed background character (the citizens of black springs, who seem to number in the thousands??) are just a faceless mass of mob mentality. I feel like the author spent little time convincing me that thousands of people would make the irrational choices they did, and more time moralizing that humanity is stupid and hopeless and violent. I am already biased against this opinion so i guess take this with a grain of salt. The last 25% of the book is just hitting you over the head with “people are stupid and violent and humanity sucks”, down to steve’s final decision to
Beyond this, the main problem I had throughout the whole book was the authors blatant sexism. The only woman in this book with anything like power or agency was the literal witch, who’s literally wrapped in chains with her mouth and eyes sewn shut. Every description of a woman fell neatly into category of “ugly old hag”, “mom”, or “sexual object with no personality”. Not even any bitches! Sometimes women would cross contaminate, and be an ugly old hag who was at least worth it for the tits, or a mom who still put out every night for her husband. Even in moments when it made absolutely no sense, the author found a way to get a woman naked (ie;
Anyway yeah I think that’s it. Some very stunning moments of evocative writing. Some equally stunning moments of sexism, nihilism, and general senseless violence. Not really my thing
Graphic: Misogyny, Murder, Animal cruelty, Child death, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Rape, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Suicide, Medical trauma, Pandemic/Epidemic, Blood, Gore, Child abuse, Death, Grief, Islamophobia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Excrement, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Suicide attempt, and Violence
kt2e56's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I definitely recommend this one but agree with others about the bizarre fixation on nipples.
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Grief, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Torture, Toxic friendship, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual assault, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Classism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Homophobia, Islamophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence
theaceofpages's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
A witch that came with the Dutch settlers has been haunting a small town that the residents can't leave. They track her every move with cameras and an app. She has, however, been relatively harmless since her eyes and mouth were sewn shut, although her whispers cause suicidality. That is until a group of teenage boys decide to taunt her and unleash her full power.
The writing is okay. But there's a lot of nothing too. Most of the story happens in the last 100 pages or so. The author also seems to have a strange obsession with nipples for some reason? Male and female, adult and child. A lot of the descriptions are rather disgusting and upsetting. But it's a horror so I guess it's to be expected. I was kind of rooting for the witch with how the boys were treating her. I'm not sure why they had to be so cruel (although, to be fair, some were worse than others). Other than the witch this seems like a nice place to live.
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Torture, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Child death, Gore, Sexual assault, and Violence
Moderate: Toxic friendship
Minor: Colonisation
asaintsheaint's review against another edition
2.0
Graphic: Animal death, Sexual violence, Torture, and Child death
Moderate: Misogyny
bubblescotch's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Animal death, Suicide, Violence, Child death, Death, Misogyny, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Rape, Sexism, and Islamophobia