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starcrossreverie's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
🌟🌟🌟
At around the 40% mark, reading this became hard. I didn't like the characters. We were shown their negative sides without being given anything that'll connect me to their story. I felt a tiny, tiny connection to Leo and Poppy but not enough to care about what happened to them.
The most annoying thing was how they didn't talk to each other, even in moments where talking would've cleared things up for them and connect the dots sooner.
When the action came and things were revealed, it was ruined by paragraphs of internal dialogue. It put a pause on the action and ruined the tension for me.
Also, this is a nitpick, but their names felt out of place. Ezra, Poppy, Lark, Gemma. Those are names I expect from a fantasy or scify story, not a modern thriller. It'll be like reading a fantasy book and one of the fae is named Johnny.
The ending was okay. Felt a bit rushed just to get to that final chapter. I feel hollow inside. This story had an amazing premise, stuck on a remote island, but the execution throughout the story ruined it for me.
At around the 40% mark, reading this became hard. I didn't like the characters. We were shown their negative sides without being given anything that'll connect me to their story. I felt a tiny, tiny connection to Leo and Poppy but not enough to care about what happened to them.
The most annoying thing was how they didn't talk to each other, even in moments where talking would've cleared things up for them and connect the dots sooner.
When the action came and things were revealed, it was ruined by paragraphs of internal dialogue. It put a pause on the action and ruined the tension for me.
Also, this is a nitpick, but their names felt out of place. Ezra, Poppy, Lark, Gemma. Those are names I expect from a fantasy or scify story, not a modern thriller. It'll be like reading a fantasy book and one of the fae is named Johnny.
The ending was okay. Felt a bit rushed just to get to that final chapter. I feel hollow inside. This story had an amazing premise, stuck on a remote island, but the execution throughout the story ruined it for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Child death, Blood, Body horror, Death, Gore, and Murder
chrissypops's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Having read a few of Ania’s books, I really enjoyed this one. Involving a broken family on a short break. Poppy was hoping that she could reconnect with her husband, Ezra and her teen children. Leo and Lark. The story unfolds from 4 perspectives of the above characters. Each having secrets and flaws that build through the narrative. I found the perspectives easy to follow and I liked that they overlapped slightly once they swapped over.
All in all, I found this book a good old revenge story and how far people are willing to go to protect their secrets and how revenge can push people over the edge
All in all, I found this book a good old revenge story and how far people are willing to go to protect their secrets and how revenge can push people over the edge
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking, and Toxic friendship
mothercoconuts's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- 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
5.0
I knew this would be 5 stars right away. I haven’t had the same luck with Ania’s other books, but this one was perfection. I was so hooked, so invested, rooting for some, heart broken to the core, in love with writing, everything. That ending?! My god. I am still reeling. Definitely will be one of my fav books of the year and it’s only January.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, Infidelity, Blood, Death of parent, Gore, and Child death
bakerreads's review against another edition
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Car accident, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Medical content, and Infidelity
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