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ixris'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? Yes
4.5
There is a romance, but it's not hot and heavy, much more muted compared to many other novels I've read this year!
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and Classism
Moderate: Rape, Sexual content, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Abortion, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic
alexisgarcia'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? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and War
talonsontypewriters's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Death, Gore, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Animal death, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Colonisation
Minor: Alcoholism, Child death, Rape, Sexual content, Vomit, Abortion, Pregnancy, Alcohol, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic
readingwithkaitlyn'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? No
4.5
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Physical abuse, Grief, and Alcohol
Minor: Ableism, Animal death, Body shaming, Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Vomit, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Colonisation, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Colorism.hunkydory's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Violence, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Physical abuse
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and War
amris's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Death, Gore, Infidelity, Rape, Blood, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Confinement, Racism, Sexual content, Abortion, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, War, and Classism
cassie7e's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Violence, Murder, and Colonisation
Minor: Death, Rape, Sexual content, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
lorriss's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Cursing, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Abortion, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Gun violence, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, and Pregnancy
fifteenthjessica'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
4.0
It's a horror and historic fiction hybrid, and while I don't read the former much and can't say how well it holds up to others (it's the best of the few I've read), but the historic fiction aspects are excellent. Isabel Canas shows an expertise of the era of history she has set this in, and I think she gets around the issue of delivering exposition about the setting to readers less familiar with life in the era by making its presence related to some of the emotional wounds of her primary characters and really most of the cast. Canas demonstrates an excellent knowledge of how social issues like sexism, racism, colorism, and classism impact people/characters, and I find it hard to completely hate most of the antagonists.
The prose is gorgeous and at times macabre. I (and a few members of the book club I read this for) quickly learned that reading it at night is not a good idea as we were quite jumpy afterwards.
It's not a flawless debut. While the book focuses heavily on the casta class system in Mexico, the few members of the servant class that get development is almost entirely Andres and his family, which I think slightly undercuts the theme. Rodolfo also feels more like a plot device than a character, which I'm not sure how I feel about it. His decision to leave the hacienda in Beatriz and Juana's hands while he rubs elbows with politicians in the capital is necessary for character motivation, it leaves him underdeveloped, and readers are left on their own to reconcile the Rodolfo who his first wife adores and the one who (sexual abuse mention and a spoiler)
There is also something about the ending that left a bad taste in my mouth.
Graphic: Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Blood, Colonisation, and Classism
Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Violence, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Rape, Sexual content, Vomit, Abortion, Alcohol, and War
vaguely_pink's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Death, Racism, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Body horror, Gore, Violence, Alcohol, War, and Classism
Minor: Animal death, Confinement, Cursing, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual content, Vomit, Police brutality, Grief, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Colonisation