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centrifugepolitics's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Gore, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Abandonment
Minor: Self harm
iphigeniad's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Animal death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Alcoholism and Suicide
venti's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, Murder, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, and Sexual content
Minor: Eating disorder, Self harm, Suicide, and Vomit
peachmoni'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
2.5
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Grief, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Blood, Murder, and Abandonment
Minor: Child abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Racism, Sexual content, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Medical content, Lesbophobia, Outing, Alcohol, and Classism
yeimyaileen's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
this book is very good. super atmostpheric. i audibly gasped a few times. i felt like ellis was a bit less developed than i wanted, but in the end, i understand why. i also liked the light commentary about the role of womens mental health in horror novels, and how their experiences are discredited despite their inclinations for the truth. this book is peak gaslight gatekeep girlboss.
slight spoilers for these violent delights below, in conversation with a lesson in vengeance.
- you dont understand how fortuitous it was for me to pick this up after these violent delights. like gays going through violent things together and it ends up destroying them?
- people keeping secrets from one another but also holding evidence against each other in sick and twisted ways? when the romance is purely physical, and its hard for them to feel love, because love isnt what they see? rather, they share violence and an inclination to controlling one another?
- i really like these novels about obsession, and the idea that one of the characters finds pleasure in the perverse, and thus feels shame, despite the other character accepting them for who they are
- and the book being dedicated to felicity?? as if she knew what was going to happen anyway? just like the chess game with julian and paul?
- and i really like how ambiguous the magic is in this book? like was she really being haunted? did the magic actually exist? my skewed answer is yes. that doesnt mean she wasnt being gaslit so hard.
- to end, this book has no men in it. slay.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Suicide, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Gaslighting
Moderate: Suicide
pixelpigeon's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Forced institutionalization, and Grief
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Re: animal deathlooseleafellie's review against another edition
This book has been on my TBR for a while, but a friend of mine read it recently and then forced her copy into my hands the second she was done with it. So of course, I had to see what entranced her so much!
Five words: queer dark academia with murder! The vibes of this book are absolutely impeccable, and while the story unfolds slowly, the creeping tension really makes it work. Schemes rumble beneath the surface, the protagonist isn’t always the most reliable narrator, and the ending is absolutely WILD.
The characters are extremely pretentious in a way that felt, to me, quite tongue-in-cheek, so luckily I was able to enjoy their exploits without getting annoyed. A fun tidbit about this book is that there are no men mentioned anywhere in the story. All the characters are female or non-binary, and none of the plentiful literary references come from male authors.
Basically, don’t go in expecting a fast-paced thriller, but do expect an eerie slow-burn of a narrative that will keep you on your toes. This is definitely the kind of book you should read at night by the fire with a cup of tea and a storm raging outside. Just keep an eye out for any ghosts that might be lurking in your corners …
CWs: Death, violence, manipulation and emotional abuse, child neglect (past/offscreen), mental health issues, substance abuse, suicide references (no actual suicide), references to racist history at a PWI.
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Violence, and Alcohol
Minor: Child abuse, Racism, and Suicide
cass_reads_98's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Death, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Classism
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Self harm
miabellawymer's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cursing, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
offbrandclubsoda's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Murder, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Gun violence, Mental illness, Violence, and Alcohol
Minor: Suicide