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honeygore's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexism, Torture, Body horror, Bullying, Blood, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Cursing, Death, Gaslighting, Gore, Misogyny, Violence, and Gun violence
Moderate: Animal death, Classism, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, and Colonisation
Minor: Animal cruelty, Alcohol, Vomit, Sexual content, and Death of parent
klsreads's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Consider checking the cws/tws. The art in the book is super spooky and cool. I think it added a lot to the experience!
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Ableism, Blood, Murder, Police brutality, Grief, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Animal cruelty, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent, Child death, Sexual content, and Colonisation
Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic
allyareads's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I'd also love to mention the character art in the book! Stunning and creepy. Love, love, love it.
I'm gonna need more books to provide their own art.
File under: "Good for her (them)" + "I support women's rights AND women's wrongs".
Imagine a mix of Robert Egger's The Witch and a less sapphic Fear Street 1666.
Moral of the story; the Puritans were really fucking scary and nothing is more haunting than the rightousness of a group of people who envoke God to deliver punishment.
Graphic: Colonisation, Death, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Body horror, Gore, Gaslighting, Torture, and Hate crime
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Animal death, and Death of parent
ellornaslibrary's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
However, the story moves so slow and the satisfaction I was hoping to find in this new possible story presented was short-lived as it turned into the usual predictable story. It was at least going to be a 3 or 3.5 star book though until the blatant ableism right at the end. Literal magic in this book, used multiple times throughout to do amazing things, and then we get to this part and just. . . it was insulting and offensive so now it's a 2 star book and I don't know if I'll pick up another book from this author anytime soon.
CW Ableism details:
Graphic: Blood, Grief, Gun violence, Torture, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Sexism, Death, Animal death, Gore, Religious bigotry, and Murder
Moderate: Physical abuse, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Animal cruelty, Confinement, and Ableism
rubys100's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Torture, Colonisation, Animal death, Misogyny, Sexism, Death, Animal cruelty, Religious bigotry, Gore, Gun violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Bullying and Grief
hauntedantiqueshop's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Colonisation, Torture, Physical abuse, Death, Gore, Confinement, Murder, Violence, Blood, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Grief and Gaslighting
Minor: Death of parent, Animal death, and Racism
It’s a Puritan story, lots of religious talk.solarel's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I’m conflicted a bit. While I enjoyed the main two characters, Abitha and Samson, I found the plot as a whole to be very… typical?
Samson’s story was by far the most interesting plot line. I enjoyed watching him struggle to find who he really is. Is he the monster or the savior? Abitha however, her story felt not just predictable but inevitable. The last third of the book is pure torture porn, and she did not grow as a character. She is merely an instrument of a vengeance arc.
I saw a lot of reviewers say this story was very white. And I think I see what they mean. I don’t know what the author’s religious background is, but this read as a very Christian framed story. People said this was a horror novel. I didn’t find it scary, only sad. People were the villain. Puritan culture was the villain. And yet it still felt like it was still validating their beliefs in the end with what was supposed to be the “horror”.
I don’t know if that makes sense, but “pagan” aspects were not rooted in lore beyond that of Christianity. I guess that’s what made it feel like more of a fantasy masquerade of a pagan story of blurred good and evil.
Stars for ambiance and entertainment only.
Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Abandonment, Suicide attempt, Torture, Xenophobia, Racism, Sexual content, Body horror, Colonisation, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gore, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Misogyny, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Grief, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, Violence, Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cultural appropriation, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting
dustghosts's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Sticking points for me: I really struggle with the way indigenous people— individually and as a whole— are dealt with by this book, and feel the ~struggle/war between colonialism and something more primal is really undermined by this. There are a FEW indigenous characters, yes, but the few we see play on harmful tropes for a very brief time and are quickly (and, once, violently) discarded. Father’s ties to nature and to those who once paid him tribute are similarly shoved to the side, while the local tribe provides shelter to the ostensible villain. If Abitha had any sort of ties to indigenous culture, this would have brought everything together nicely. As it is, there’s something… very girlboss white feminism/saviorism that equally disempowers HER story and her grief, sadly.
Overall, a worthwhile read, but one I’ve been chewing on for a while.
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Misogyny, Grief, Death, Body horror, Animal cruelty, Religious bigotry, Colonisation, Torture, Animal death, and Gore
killmoore_'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
3.0
Good for her.
Graphic: Vomit, Animal death, Cultural appropriation, Violence, Animal cruelty, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Death, Gore, Torture, Alcohol, Grief, Misogyny, Murder, Racial slurs, Sexism, and Suicidal thoughts
sizzlesteaks's review
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Forced institutionalization, Animal death, Gore, Gun violence, Animal cruelty, Excrement, Murder, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Police brutality, Violence, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, and Torture