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telurin'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? No
5.0
Graphic: Gore, Torture, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, and Alcohol
sheriffrockyraccoon's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
My main issue with the book comes from the time jumps. There are a few places where Rose talks about weeks of research she’s done, but we never get to see it. Especially considering how intelligent she is, I would have loved to spend more time seeing what her research process is like and discovering new information. There were a few times I felt I was being told what happened, rather than getting to experience it. I also found the themes of this book to be incredibly heavy-handed, I didn’t need to be told conversion therapy is wrong and would rather see the repercussions of these beliefs without being pulled out of it by somewhat condescending phrases. Trust your readers, Chuck!
My complaints aside, I did really enjoy this book. There are several passages that were incredibly visual and exciting, from monster descriptions to the sunset. I also loved how Tingle built suspense, I felt like I was reading a marathon with how excited I felt. The premise of this book is also a brilliant idea and I enjoyed going on this journey with Rose.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of sci-fi horror. While there are definitely religious themes, it’s the scientific procedure of the characters that really moves the story along.
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Car accident, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
These are definitely graphic trigger warnings, be aware!pierrereads's review
- 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? No
3.0
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Gore, Homophobia, Religious bigotry, Lesbophobia, and Gaslighting
quitegood's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
And I do not regret doing so one bit. This blindingly paced horror yarn about love, loss, and faith. If you want horror that makes you feel a whole gammet of emotions, this is for you!
Graphic: Gore, Homophobia, Torture, Blood, and Fire/Fire injury
Lgbtqa+, horror, dark,li_st'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? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Body horror and Gore
Moderate: Homophobia
alienguy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Homophobia, Violence, Religious bigotry, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Body horror, Gore, and Gaslighting
booksandcoffeewithlexi'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
3.0
Graphic: Gore, Homophobia, and Car accident
elstarkey's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Forced institutionalization, Religious bigotry, Car accident, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Drug use
kmg48381's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Gore
catcherinthepi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
In addition to sucking you in, I thought the autistic rep was great; as a neurotypical person, I felt like I learned a lot about how autistic people think, and I loved how the protagonist's autism was a major asset in her processing everything. The other big strength of the work is its focus on religious trauma and how religion can easily distort a community and its incentives (financial ones notwithstanding!). As a queer someone with a lot of religious trauma, this was a cathartic read.
While I think the protagonist is supposed to be smart, and certainly her autism can help her logic out things better than most people around her, I think she caught on a little *too* quickly to things for it to be believable. Also...the "best friend" character is a person of color, and the protagonist is white. I am so tired of this.
Overall, it's a fun read for when you want something quite and kinda creepy but not too bone-chilling.
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Homophobia, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Car accident, and Gaslighting