Reviews with content warning for Child abuse - All the Bad Apples

Such an important story, based on actual historical sources. I loved the mix of fairy tale tropes and contemporary road trip. The writing was also gorgeous, I didn't want to stop reading. Some of the plot twists were pretty obvious and the message was a bit too spelled out for me (although thats a general thing in YA that annoys me) and I feel the banshee concept had more potentual than was in the end used, but all in all a very enjoyable read (also enraging, frustrating and sad, but that doesn't take away from the enjoyment).

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ecstaticlistening's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Ghosts and witchy lore blend with a mystery and history, illuminating the experiences of women in Ireland through the last 4 generations.

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jiynoung's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

Now this book had some really great messages. The author said this book was written with rage and you could feel it in some parts. However, the main plot following Deena and her road trip to find her missing sister Mandy fell apart for me in multiple ways from the lack of tension to the "twist" of who was leaving the letters. Also the book felt too long in parts that should not have been. The author really had an amazing idea but I just don't think she executed it that well in this book.

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annarose_'s review against another edition

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dark mysterious

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

tw: rape, incest, child abuse, religious abuse and trauma, homophobia, pregnancy and abortion and stigma surrounding all of these

a beautiful novel that illustrates how generational trauma impacts the present. haunted by ghosts, banshees and a curse that's threaded all through her family's history, Deena struggles with her family's (read: her very religious father's) views on her coming out as a lesbian, only for her sister Mandy to drop the news of the family curse and then disappear, presumed dead by everyone but Deena. She sets out to find her sister, learning more about her family, past and present, along the way. this is a story of pride, of personal power, and how institutions, societal expectations (and men, lets be honest) will do everything in their own powers to keep us down.

the author's note at the end mentions how some of the religious child abuse in this book is based on real events and real places. i loved this book but please do take care when reading if any of the topics mentioned are triggering 💚

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