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flyintothestorm's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
It was weird, but the right kind of weird. I didn't know nor expect anything when I started reading and that may have been the best thing for me. That being said, it's really dark, look out for the content warnings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Child death, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Racism, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Mental illness, and Medical content
finchthearcher's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Child death, Medical content, Murder, and Stalking
Minor: Domestic abuse and Abandonment
lilifane's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Okay, wtf did I just read?!
At first, the story was so nice and funny and light-hearted for the most part. Then it got more intense and weird. And around the 50% mark it got totally off the rails... and that was just the beginning.
Although I liked the characters, they did some questionable things throughout the book. I loved the dark fairy tale like atmosphere and the writing style. Especially the humour in the first half of the book, which did disappear for the majority of the second half due to how dark and intense the plot got. Btw, I did not like the name of the bad guy because.. why? Couldn't take him seriously tbh, and it took out all the tension every time it was mentioned.
I liked how unpredictable the plot was and all the different parts of it. I just think the book was too long. At least it felt like it was dragging sometimes despite all the action and mystery elements.
At first, the story was so nice and funny and light-hearted for the most part. Then it got more intense and weird. And around the 50% mark it got totally off the rails... and that was just the beginning.
Although I liked the characters, they did some questionable things throughout the book. I loved the dark fairy tale like atmosphere and the writing style. Especially the humour in the first half of the book, which did disappear for the majority of the second half due to how dark and intense the plot got. Btw, I did not like the name of the bad guy because.. why? Couldn't take him seriously tbh, and it took out all the tension every time it was mentioned.
I liked how unpredictable the plot was and all the different parts of it. I just think the book was too long. At least it felt like it was dragging sometimes despite all the action and mystery elements.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Racism, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Mental illness, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Medical content, Abandonment, Blood, Grief, Kidnapping, Violence, and Pregnancy
iirreeaadd's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Quite the book. I was engaged throughout but it kinda lost me in the end when it went full fantasy. I didn't dislike it but I found the characters and their actions a little harder to believe at that point. It was really well written though and an excellent journey to go on.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Torture, Child abuse, Medical content, and Pregnancy
bookish_bry's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This was a bit of a slow start and it was a bit hard to get into. I did end up liking it a lot in the end, though it wasn't perfect. Sometimes I was frustrated by the characters not really communicating well, but overall it was okay.
It was an interesting look at all of the pitfalls of parenthood. We saw the consequences of parents who didn't pay enough attention and ones who paid too much. We saw parents who "loved" their children enough to kill them and ones that harmed them just by not knowing what they were doing.The troll in the end was just a stand in for parents who mess up. It was basically a physical representation of Apollo's issues with his own father that he had to both learn to see for what they really were and eventually overcome with his wife in order to save his son.
It was an interesting look at all of the pitfalls of parenthood. We saw the consequences of parents who didn't pay enough attention and ones who paid too much. We saw parents who "loved" their children enough to kill them and ones that harmed them just by not knowing what they were doing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Child death, Gore, Racism, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Classism, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Death, Medical content, and Suicidal thoughts
reading_rainbow_with_chris's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
“The Changeling” by Victor LaVelle
A young bookseller and his wife give birth to a baby boy, a start to their happy family. However, when the mother sees a monster instead of her child, her desperate attempts to find her true baby unlock an ancient story that the bookseller has to see to the end. For me personally, it was also an ancient journey that took a little too long for my liking. LaVelle’s concept was very strong and I appreciated many elements of the writing style. However, at times it felt like scenes were dragging and didn’t have the payoff they needed to. Chapters seemed to end on odd phrasing. I also felt like there were too many varied themes going on; it didn’t feel cohesive and I struggled to see how some of the parts fit together in ways which were organic. Ultimately it was still a fine listen and I was motivated enough to hear how the story ended, but for me “The Changeling” suffered from a few small, consistent flaws that added up to an experience that didn’t resonate with me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Medical content, Pregnancy, Grief, Mental illness, Blood, Abandonment, and Violence
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