an_library_stan's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Moderate: Blood, Violence, and Racism
Minor: Outing
dewugging's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, Racism, Homophobia, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Blood, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Death of parent, Death, and Slavery
lizzym126's review
- 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? It's complicated
3.25
Moderate: Death, Alcohol, Grief, Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Pregnancy, Sexism, Violence, Xenophobia, Misogyny, Blood, Racism, and Sexual content
caitlinemccann's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Grief, Sexism, Misogyny, Sexual content, Fire/Fire injury, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Cultural appropriation, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Body horror, Racism, Racial slurs, Blood, Death, and Suicide
Minor: Addiction and Animal cruelty
citrus_seasalt's review
- 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
4.75
Anyhow! I loved the setting of this book, too. The Old Hollywood setting starts out with a kind of hypnotic glamour and dazzle, one that Luli quickly finds herself drawn to as a kid first discovering movies. As it goes on, we see parts of this start to fade away because of the disrespect Luli immediately has to learn to defend herself against, and then it takes on a mysterious, almost scary but ultimately alluring image once more of the immortality and supernatural business is introduced. The movies themselves are described a lot, both in general plot description and in production process(depends on their place in the plot), as you get to hear about the pictures that Luli was involved in or grew up with. I also liked that a lot! It was very cool to read about the behind-the-scenes details for these flicks, even if they only exist in-universe. (I was, and am, what you’d call a “theatre kid” so this, naturally, fascinated me.) And with those behind-the-scenes snippets, of course, came different relationships involving our main character and (mainly) her co-stars/workers! Maybe there could’ve been a bit more development on their parts, though, but I overall liked the explorations of the different dynamics captured within the narrative.
I also enjoyed the writing style. It felt lush and lyrical, with an additional bite for when it was most appropriate. Typically I read YA, so this was a nice change of pace, to be reading a distinctly adult book with this style.
Graphic: Racial slurs, Sexual content, and Racism
Moderate: Blood, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Abortion and Pregnancy
kingcrookback's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
The story really only started to grip me in earnest around the 75% mark, where we started to see conflict between Luli and Tara and the abstraction started to abate a bit. This wasn't for me, but I'll pick up some of Vo's other works and see if they stir up some different feelings.
Graphic: Racism, Misogyny, Violence, Child abuse, and Blood
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Pregnancy and Abortion
racheloddment's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Racism, Sexism, and Homophobia
Moderate: Grief, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Blood, and Violence
Minor: Sexual harassment
sarah984'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
I will say though that the world was very interesting (even if we didn't get to see a lot of it) and the way the magic was used to emphasize real world issues was mostly well done.
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Ableism, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Racism, and Sexual assault
Minor: Blood, Body horror, Death of parent, Drug use, Child abuse, Death, Addiction, Alcohol, Homophobia, and Infidelity
vigil's review
- 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
5.0
i think luli is a character that is to flatten and turn into a shallow “girlboss” caricature, which would be doing her a disservice. we get to know luli's insecurities and fears alongside her wants, and accomplishments in a way that despite the mystical atmosphere, keeps the narrative really grounded. it was very striking and relatable to hear about luli’s fears simultaneous to her bold actions and demeanor. i appreciated the variety in her relationships, and that regardless of their outcome, are always treated with respect by the narrative and had a clear impact on luli herself.
i can't say much about the plot, not due to a lack of one, but because this story is primarily driven by its characters. this was originally three seperate novellas, and i think you can see that somewhat in the division of the story (act one, act two, act three) but it didn't harm the pacing, and kept the thread from the previous portion weaving throughout the next. the prose itself is excellent, managing to be poetic and descriptive without being vague or dragging.
all in all, i can't recommend this one enough.
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Body horror, Racism, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Homophobia, and Lesbophobia
anxiousnachos's review
4.5
Content warnings: racism, slurs, homophobia, sexual harassment, abuse in Hollywood, misogyny, physical child abuse, blood and gore, self-mutilation, fire, sex, pregnancy, discussions of abortion
Graphic: Homophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Lesbophobia, Blood, Violence, Sexual harassment, Self harm, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, and Misogyny
Moderate: Abortion, Physical abuse, and Child abuse