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addythebookbat's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Blood, Child abuse, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Vomit, Death of parent, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Incest, Mental illness, Physical abuse, and Violence
travelseatsreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The story centres around Alexa Wu and her struggles with DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder). Quite early on we're introduced quite openly to some of her personalities. There's Runner who seems quite brutish but will always have Alexa's back, there's Dolly an adorable childlike persona who exudes pure innocence, Oneiroi the only voice of reason and The Fowls who are there to wreak havoc. This is where the book flourishes as it's fascinating to see how the personalities interact and the impact that they have, both positive and negative, on her everyday life.
Parts of the book are also told from the POV of Alex's psychiatrist Daniel Rosenstein and to be honest this is where it starts to get messy and unrealistic. It's incredibly hard to see his character as a plausible medical professional due to a host of issues including gross breaches in patient confidentiality and huge multiple crossings of many boundaries. If this was part of the storyline fair enough but this is passed off as pretty normal behaviour and not really addressed.
Overall, an interesting read but I think I would have enjoyed it so much more if it concentrated mainly on Alexa, her personalities and their origins, interactions and impacts.
Graphic: Mental illness, Child abuse, Drug use, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, Sexual content, Drug abuse, Sexual harassment, Alcohol, Rape, Sexual violence, and Trafficking
Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death
amberinpieces's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Graphic: Drug use, Alcohol, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Physical abuse, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Cursing, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, and Self harm
Moderate: Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Grief, Suicide attempt, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Misogyny, and Sexism
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Suicide
thebakerbookworm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
We get two first-person POVs, from Alexa and her therapist, Daniel. I would’ve liked it better if Daniel’s chapters were just gone...I never understood why his POV was included! To me, they didn’t add anything to the story, and he was kinda creepy anyway. Alexa was a much more interesting character and I would’ve rather just stayed in her head. I loved learning about her different personalities and seeing how they interacted with each other—that was the best part of this book.
The plot...was intense. This was a lot darker than I was expecting—be wary of the content warnings below. I’m not sure if it was all just for shock value or what, but a lot of it seemed unnecessary to me. Maybe it’s just not my kind of book.
Short chapters made for a quick read and I suppose it did entertain me...but I’m just left wondering what my takeaway from this book should be beyond an icky feeling.
(My initial take on this was three stars but I’ve decided to change it to two...)
Graphic: Child abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Trafficking
Moderate: Grief
josethi's review
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Random thoughts:
The premise was great and right up my alley. The overall weirdness and progressive disconnect were compelling.
The "big reveal" was not that big and easily deduced
The psychiatrist's point of view made me laugh with confusion and sort of distaste, but they added to the story.
I finished reading it yesterday and I already forgot I read it. For a book with so many trigger warnings, it should not be this forgettable.
Graphic: Mental illness, Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence