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danibeetle's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Children of Paradise is brimming with film references, and while I have far from seen all the ones mentioned, they really added to the tone of this book. By far my most loved character was The Paradise Cinema itself, and it’s whale mouth that swallows our protagonist -and us- whole. As the already fragile seams of the cinema come apart during the second half of the book, we see this destruction replicated in its cast of strange workers. This really drove home that there was a clostrophobic and even biological link between the space and its residents. There were moments this novella fell short for me, mostly in its most intense moments, which felt like they ended too quickly. I could see this being purposeful on Grudova’s part though, as each time a horrific incident occurs, it’s always seemingly too fast for the characters to act in time. Overall this was a certified weird, gross, fun little read. The setting brought me a lot of joy, and has me itching to sit in a (hopefully less filthy) cinema chair asap.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Vomit, Alcoholism, Blood, Body horror, Abortion, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Excrement, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Mental illness, Gore, Drug use, Death, Addiction, and Sexual content
blymanor's review
dark
fast-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abortion, Suicide, Drug abuse, Drug use, Death, Alcohol, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, and Body shaming
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Pregnancy
pun1sher's review
i think I need to stop reading weird fiction because i keep thinking that I'll end up liking one of these stories but at this point I doubt that will happen
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, and Abortion
Moderate: Excrement, Sexual content, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
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