sarahannkateri's review against another edition
Wonderfully written but a better fit for adults.
silquesoleil's review against another edition
2.0
I regret buying this book and as a physical copy no less because it has been such a letdown. I could only finish it because the writing was good.
I expected more mystery and court intrigue, kind of a historical thriller. Instead what you get is a villain whose very motives are so obvious and who is the nastiest kind of person, but I feel like he is never met with enough disgust, his actions are never condemned enough by this book.
I had no joy reading about marrying off actual children and people making inappropriate remarks about it because, hahaha, pedophelia is such a joke right? Too bad it's not even historically accurate. And before you say 'oh well that's just to establish how little qualms the villain has in his greed for power' - it has been established enough. He rapes women, he has his co-conspirors tortured. And despite all of this, not a single soul is properly appalled at his actions. It's just kind of glossed over.
The author is not very sensitive to matters of race either, the author does not seem very sensitive to anything at all, really.
The ending is kind of all over the place too. The only interesting part was the medical aspect of it because I recognized some of this from Sawbones.
So, if you think about picking up this book, consider investing your time into listening to a podcast called Sawbones instead. It's free and it's fun, while this book is neither
I expected more mystery and court intrigue, kind of a historical thriller. Instead what you get is a villain whose very motives are so obvious and who is the nastiest kind of person, but I feel like he is never met with enough disgust, his actions are never condemned enough by this book.
I had no joy reading about marrying off actual children and people making inappropriate remarks about it because, hahaha, pedophelia is such a joke right? Too bad it's not even historically accurate. And before you say 'oh well that's just to establish how little qualms the villain has in his greed for power' - it has been established enough. He rapes women, he has his co-conspirors tortured. And despite all of this, not a single soul is properly appalled at his actions. It's just kind of glossed over.
The author is not very sensitive to matters of race either, the author does not seem very sensitive to anything at all, really.
The ending is kind of all over the place too. The only interesting part was the medical aspect of it because I recognized some of this from Sawbones.
So, if you think about picking up this book, consider investing your time into listening to a podcast called Sawbones instead. It's free and it's fun, while this book is neither
gritshelme's review against another edition
5.0
I loved every minute of this book. It was gruesome and painful and I absolutely could not put it down.
The writing is gorgeous. I tend to despise first-person narratives, and even more so when perspectives switch from chapter to chapter, but I found each character's voice to be utterly beautiful and unique.
Having become quite disillusioned with a lot of recent YA fiction, I found this dark and depressing examination of trapped women to be quite refreshing.
This is the first I've read of Susann Cokal, but it certainly will not be the last.
The writing is gorgeous. I tend to despise first-person narratives, and even more so when perspectives switch from chapter to chapter, but I found each character's voice to be utterly beautiful and unique.
Having become quite disillusioned with a lot of recent YA fiction, I found this dark and depressing examination of trapped women to be quite refreshing.
This is the first I've read of Susann Cokal, but it certainly will not be the last.
mhkennadixon's review against another edition
3.0
I have such mixed feelings about this one. So much misery for one book! It seemed to be the overall theme of the story. If you're looking for a happy story, this one is not it. Not to mention there are a LOT of utterly grotesque elements in this book. For anyone thinking this is a Young Adult book, THINK AGAIN AND LOOK ELSEWHERE. I'd say this book is for adults through and through. Still, while I couldn't relate to the characters, I did find myself sympathizing with them, and something about the story kept drawing me back in, excited to read what happened next. 2.5 Stars because I can't figure out whether I liked or hated this book.
ssung's review against another edition
3.0
really very well written, although i'm not 100% sure i enjoyed the experience; it was distinctly discomfiting and visceral.
itadakinasu's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault and Racism
madmaxxie's review against another edition
4.0
Somewhere between 3.5 and 4 stars, I think. I liked it enough to read all 500+ pages. It's definitely got some weird and squicky moments, but I don't think it's nearly as graphic as the reviews I've read seem to suggest? I definitely don't recommend reading it unless you check out a list of triggers or something, but that goes for any book, not just this one.
It's very much about syphilis, so keep that in mind while you consider whether or not you want to read it.
It's very much about syphilis, so keep that in mind while you consider whether or not you want to read it.
abhimanyu01's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.25
drrawsonreads's review against another edition
5.0
So I will start by saying that the people who rated this book really low because "it's not a YA novel" are right... and wrong. Right because it most definitely is not a young adult book. Wrong because that's not a justification for giving this a low rating.
I'm really confused as to why the publisher marketed it as YA. While the main character (one of them, anyway) is seventeen and thus a "young adult" by our standards, she is several years into adulthood by the standards of her time period. The events of this story are extremely mature / graphic, and beyond that, the writing style is that of an adult novel, without question. The fact that this book was awarded a Printz Honor this year also baffles me, since again, it's CLEARLY not a young adult novel regardless of how it was marketed.
All that said, there's no reason to rate this book low simply because you disagree with the publisher's decision to market it as YA. If you can get past that, this is actually a beautifully written, though disturbing, book. Cokal has described this book as "a fairy tale about syphilis," and that's as good a description as any I could come up with. But be warned - when she says "fairy tale," she's not talking about the Disney kind. This book is dark, dark, dark. There are graphic depictions of miscarriage, STDs, rape, and violence. So if you're squeamish at all, this book is not for you! If, on the other hand, you enjoy the Grimm-style fairy tales and are interested in the darker side of Medieval history and medicine, you might really enjoy this one, as I did.
I'm really confused as to why the publisher marketed it as YA. While the main character (one of them, anyway) is seventeen and thus a "young adult" by our standards, she is several years into adulthood by the standards of her time period. The events of this story are extremely mature / graphic, and beyond that, the writing style is that of an adult novel, without question. The fact that this book was awarded a Printz Honor this year also baffles me, since again, it's CLEARLY not a young adult novel regardless of how it was marketed.
All that said, there's no reason to rate this book low simply because you disagree with the publisher's decision to market it as YA. If you can get past that, this is actually a beautifully written, though disturbing, book. Cokal has described this book as "a fairy tale about syphilis," and that's as good a description as any I could come up with. But be warned - when she says "fairy tale," she's not talking about the Disney kind. This book is dark, dark, dark. There are graphic depictions of miscarriage, STDs, rape, and violence. So if you're squeamish at all, this book is not for you! If, on the other hand, you enjoy the Grimm-style fairy tales and are interested in the darker side of Medieval history and medicine, you might really enjoy this one, as I did.
kimmytown's review against another edition
4.0
This YA "fairy tale about syphilis" does not fuck around.