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mondovertigo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Misogyny, Racism, Classism, Death, Grief, and Infidelity
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Animal cruelty
cas_reads_anything's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The first was a character study of an apartment building filled with haunted people, living in a (lightly) haunted building. Sana, the main character, is adrift after the death of her sister and mother. She investigates the residents of the building and its history, digging deeper and deeper until she discovers the horrific story of the builder of the home.
The second timeline follows the original home builder, his family, and the tragedy that befalls them. It’s dark and ominous and you can’t help but root for the safety of the main POV in that timeline even knowing that things are not going to turn out well. Finally, the two timelines merge in an exciting and satisfying ending.
This was beautifully written and haunting.
Graphic: Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Self harm, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicide attempt, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Blood, Body horror, Classism, and Colonisation
jasminegalsreadinglog's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Set in South Africa, this book revolves around Sana, a 15 year old girl who lives with her father. They move into a palatial mansion, where she gets to meet interesting neighbors. The house itself is an enigma, though. Sana starts exploring, and the house starts revealing its secrets to her.
9
Sana and the Djinn have something in common. Though the Djinn is not exactly the main character of this book (sadly), Sana and the Djinn have parallel metaphorical stories. There's a lot underneath the layers of this story. It's sad in a lot of parts, but also beautiful when you read the whimsical friendship of the Djinn with Meena. I am not sure if this book exactly fits the bill of horror genre, and that's where a reader might struggle.
Thank you, Penguin Group Viking, for this book.
CW: Death, classism, racism, colorism, betrayal, suicidal thoughts, manipulation, infidelity, medical trauma, ghosts
Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Slavery, Misogyny, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Death, Self harm, Infidelity, Blood, Suicide, Classism, Suicidal thoughts, Racism, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Confinement, and Child death
hsheehan85's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
The story follows Sana as she moves in to the rundown mansion on the hill with her father, Bilal. There are other tenants in the mansion, each with their own stories of love, loss, grief, and guilt. Sana learns a bit about each one on her journey to find out about love and what happened to the original owners of the house..
There is a djinn who haunts the mansion, seemingly stuck there by the past events Sana is trying to bring to light. The mansion is also haunted by the tragedy of the past. The love, loss, grief and guilt burying itself into the "bones" of the mansion.
I absolutely adored the different perspectives of what love is and how different people perceive love, loss, and grief. How all of these things mixed in can make one feel guilty. How different people process their guilt. How the story made me smile, laugh, angry and cry because the all these feelings come across the pages in a beautiful poetic way.
This book is one of the most beautiful love stories and one of the most tragic. I will be thinking about this book for a long time.
Graphic: Misogyny, Grief, and Death