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valerian_honeybee's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Classism, Pedophilia, Abandonment, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Outing, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, Sexual violence, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Vomit, and Murder
Moderate: Misogyny, Infidelity, and Self harm
Minor: Child death, Deportation, and Incest
sternfrl613's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
2.75
This was a tough read that opened a couple of wounds I didn't need opening. I only read it till the end because I needed a happy end, and thankfully received one that I can make peace with.
LGBTQIA*, SA survivors and children of abusive families: check the content warnings before reading to make sure you're up to what you're getting here.
LGBTQIA*, SA survivors and children of abusive families: check the content warnings before reading to make sure you're up to what you're getting here.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Homophobia, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Classism, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Sexual content, Adult/minor relationship, Murder, Sexual assault, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide, Child abuse, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Blood
Minor: Excrement
august_ambrosia's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
ooooh boy. first review of 2023! i loved this book and will talk about why i debated on whether to give 5 stars later on, but if you’re wondering whether to read it or not i highly recommend it! it took me about 5 hours to read in total and i don't regret a moment!
collins’ whimsical (but grounded when necessary) style of writing builds suspense and prompts you to ask questions while also not losing a wonderful storytelling vibe… great descriptions and well rounded characters galore! collins writes emotion perfectly, and when the characters feel shocked or frightened, you do too. oh, and joyful.
i’ve seen some comments saying they didn’t like it because it was “depressing” and i just thought that was a little… privileged? juvenile? that’s the point. a well written book makes you think, ask questions, and reflect on your own biases and privilege.
debated with giving this 5 stars and i may still change my mind on a future read, but for now it’s a 5 :) thought it had a slow(ish) start that ended up making sense and i don’t like ambiguous endings a huge amount, but that's a me problem.
(spoilers here) the worldbuilding around the concept of binding was wonderfully done, with the mystery surrounding it initially turning to wonder as we see seredith guard her secrets with her life, but also being able to see the prejudice and horror of losing memories later on. one of my favourite parts of it was when the first woman to be bound didn't even know who her father was, because the memories associated with him were too painful. that early glimpse into the power of a binding was so interesting and subtle, i only noticed on a second read. i also loved how a binding wouldn't let you hear anything about it afterwards! loved the double-edged sword nature of binding in general, how it could be used to regale people with stories you no longer need as you were close to dying anyway, or in the more horrifying and frankly, disgusting way that people in power had twisted it into forcing people to be bound to forget things like rapes so as to give individuals the power to push themselves on others multiple times. or the heartbreaking way emmett was bound to forget being gay… i have to admit i cried a little reading that. i am VERY glad there was a way to reverse binding; and the line “memories want to burn” gave me chills.
just as a last note: collins wrote the queer romance so beautifully. i had been silently rooting for emmett and lucian since their introduction and the little moments all meant so much to me. this book will forever have a treasured place in my heart purely because of them.
but yes, overall this book was a treasure and i'm so glad i picked it up :)
collins’ whimsical (but grounded when necessary) style of writing builds suspense and prompts you to ask questions while also not losing a wonderful storytelling vibe… great descriptions and well rounded characters galore! collins writes emotion perfectly, and when the characters feel shocked or frightened, you do too. oh, and joyful.
i’ve seen some comments saying they didn’t like it because it was “depressing” and i just thought that was a little… privileged? juvenile? that’s the point. a well written book makes you think, ask questions, and reflect on your own biases and privilege.
debated with giving this 5 stars and i may still change my mind on a future read, but for now it’s a 5 :) thought it had a slow(ish) start that ended up making sense and i don’t like ambiguous endings a huge amount, but that's a me problem.
(spoilers here)
just as a last note: collins wrote the queer romance so beautifully. i had been silently rooting for emmett and lucian since their introduction and the little moments all meant so much to me. this book will forever have a treasured place in my heart purely because of them.
but yes, overall this book was a treasure and i'm so glad i picked it up :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Violence, Outing, Sexual content, Kidnapping, and Animal death
Moderate: Abandonment, Addiction, and Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Vomit and Violence
oogtube's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Had a great first part, the buildup in the beginning location was everyone I wanted about a magic bookbinding apprentice- then It kinda moved onto the romance and it all went downhill. It focused FAR too much on the romance and near nothing on the concepts carefully built in the beginning and even kinda- abandoned the beginning tone in a heartless and sudden way that left you not feeling the emotional weight it really should have given.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Suicide, Alcoholism, Gaslighting, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Kidnapping, and Vomit
wildelwrcase's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
I considered DNFing at several points during part 1, and I can't say I completely made the right decision by sticking it through. (Sorry if this is a little spoilery. I think a lot of this is predictable anyway, but if you want to go in totally blind, skip my review)
Looking at the back of the book, in a Q&A with the author, it's stated she has written 7 YA books before releasing this adult fantasy, and boy golly can you tell. Every time the characters swore was a mini jumpscare where in I had to remember this was not written for teenagers. Because even with the references to the darker material present in this world (see trigger warnings) it still feels totally juvenile with incredibly flat, black and white morality characterization. In the past I've disliked YA books for this quality, yet forgiven them for the fact that they are geared toward people younger than me, but this is marketed fully as an adult fantasy, giving it no excuse.
On the topic of characters, the ones portrayed in this book are both absurdly flat and painfully boring. Outside of our main duo, every single character is presented so cartoonishly it's impossible to take seriously. They are all either virtuous girls who suffer for the advancement of our male heroes' plot, or legitimately evil peverted monsters, with neither party being offered even the barest of nuance. (The big bad man who takes Emmett to the big city is named de Havilland. Really. I haven't seen anything so heavy handed since Cruella Deville.) Unfortunately, neither Emmett or Lucian are given much further development. This almost astounds me since they are both 1st person POV characters! As individuals they can be surmised easily: Emmett - farmer (it's his last name and occupation), hates monetary hand outs, righteous (except when the plot needs him to not be), Lucian - rich, hates his dad, hates bookbinding (but only kind of and only to stir up plot drama.) Could you guess that they're also incredibly inconsistent? And somehow still, the most egregious character injustice is killing off a main character and then never mentioning her again!
The plot is easily the best part of the book, and yet still so much of my enjoyment is based on it's potential for more. I think the plot twists are satisfying, though predictable, and the magic system is so cool. There are so many moments that expand the world and potential that binding memories could have on a vaugely pre-industrial vaugely British setting, like the one in this book. Does Collins ever actually explore these possibilities, well no, but the thought of it is intriguing.
A large part of the plot though that can't go ignored is the romance, which... kinda sucks. Like the 2nd part of the book is by far the most enjoyable to read, don't get me wrong, but their entire relationship is told to us while skipping through the parts we actually want to read about. Like this novel is 450 fucking pages and the author just tells us they had an affair??? She couldn't be bothered to write even one or two scenes of them just fucking talking, getting to know each other, falling in love? It's so insane, she somehow spends more time talking about the sexual assualt of minors rather than the supposedly loving, consensual intimacy between our main romantic pair! That is simply absurd, and quite frankly deeply frustrating. Much like the characters though, the plot, is just really fucking boring.
The two, reasons this aren't a 1 star: 1. It's very readable once you get through the mind numbing opening. Again the 2nd part is pretty fun to read, if rather lack luster. The author is able to spread out reveals just enough that even though they're ridiculously predictable, you still want to get there to see if maybe that's the turning point into where it gets good. 2. Just the idea of it. I really wish this concept was created by a more competent writer, especially one for adult fiction.
Later losers, gonna go write a fanfiction with this premise, but make it not suck.
EDIT: I can't stop thinking about this book, and the more I think the worse it gets. Bullet points cause I don't want to spoil or rant too much.
Looking at the back of the book, in a Q&A with the author, it's stated she has written 7 YA books before releasing this adult fantasy, and boy golly can you tell. Every time the characters swore was a mini jumpscare where in I had to remember this was not written for teenagers. Because even with the references to the darker material present in this world (see trigger warnings) it still feels totally juvenile with incredibly flat, black and white morality characterization. In the past I've disliked YA books for this quality, yet forgiven them for the fact that they are geared toward people younger than me, but this is marketed fully as an adult fantasy, giving it no excuse.
On the topic of characters, the ones portrayed in this book are both absurdly flat and painfully boring. Outside of our main duo, every single character is presented so cartoonishly it's impossible to take seriously. They are all either virtuous girls who suffer for the advancement of our male heroes' plot, or legitimately evil peverted monsters, with neither party being offered even the barest of nuance. (The big bad man who takes Emmett to the big city is named de Havilland. Really. I haven't seen anything so heavy handed since Cruella Deville.) Unfortunately, neither Emmett or Lucian are given much further development. This almost astounds me since they are both 1st person POV characters! As individuals they can be surmised easily: Emmett - farmer (it's his last name and occupation), hates monetary hand outs, righteous (except when the plot needs him to not be), Lucian - rich, hates his dad, hates bookbinding (but only kind of and only to stir up plot drama.) Could you guess that they're also incredibly inconsistent? And somehow still, the most egregious character injustice is killing off a main character and then never mentioning her again!
The plot is easily the best part of the book, and yet still so much of my enjoyment is based on it's potential for more. I think the plot twists are satisfying, though predictable, and the magic system is so cool. There are so many moments that expand the world and potential that binding memories could have on a vaugely pre-industrial vaugely British setting, like the one in this book. Does Collins ever actually explore these possibilities, well no, but the thought of it is intriguing.
A large part of the plot though that can't go ignored is the romance, which... kinda sucks. Like the 2nd part of the book is by far the most enjoyable to read, don't get me wrong, but their entire relationship is told to us while skipping through the parts we actually want to read about. Like this novel is 450 fucking pages and the author just tells us they had an affair??? She couldn't be bothered to write even one or two scenes of them just fucking talking, getting to know each other, falling in love? It's so insane, she somehow spends more time talking about the sexual assualt of minors rather than the supposedly loving, consensual intimacy between our main romantic pair! That is simply absurd, and quite frankly deeply frustrating. Much like the characters though, the plot, is just really fucking boring.
The two, reasons this aren't a 1 star: 1. It's very readable once you get through the mind numbing opening. Again the 2nd part is pretty fun to read, if rather lack luster. The author is able to spread out reveals just enough that even though they're ridiculously predictable, you still want to get there to see if maybe that's the turning point into where it gets good. 2. Just the idea of it. I really wish this concept was created by a more competent writer, especially one for adult fiction.
Later losers, gonna go write a fanfiction with this premise, but make it not suck.
EDIT: I can't stop thinking about this book, and the more I think the worse it gets. Bullet points cause I don't want to spoil or rant too much.
- Women are treated horribly no matter what. Either sidelined as enforcers of the homophobic realities of the time period keeping our main characters from living freely or literally killed off and never brought up again.
- Part 1 is rendered completely useless by the end of the book, except basically to stall so the reveal in part 2 is more impactful.
- Zero moral nuance or complexity.
- Completely dropped plot threads and/ or thematic ideas that would have made the 450 pages feel less bloated and actually given some depth to the world.
So yeah this is a pretty bad book, but it was more enjoyable to read than what I would deem 1 star level atrocity.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Sexual assault, Suicide, Rape, and Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Outing and Classism
kellyloubishop's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Murder, Outing, Homophobia, Emotional abuse, Rape, Vomit, and Suicide
prashiie's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
“We take memories and bind them. Whatever people can’t bear to remember. Whatever they can’t live with. We take those memories and put them where they can’t do any more harm. That’s all books are.”
I have mixed feelings about this book. While I really love the (queer) characters, the general outline and the uniqueness of the story, I also think it did not deliver its full potential. This book could have been so much more. Getting into the story was especially troublesome as the writing really threw me off. The detailed description of the surroundings part one almost felt cinematic. The writing in parts two and three on the other hand was more pleasant.
I have mixed feelings about this book. While I really love the (queer) characters, the general outline and the uniqueness of the story, I also think it did not deliver its full potential. This book could have been so much more. Getting into the story was especially troublesome as the writing really threw me off. The detailed description of the surroundings part one almost felt cinematic. The writing in parts two and three on the other hand was more pleasant.
Also the blurb is somewhat misleading. It comes across as if Emmett is already an apprentice and has bound many people and one day he finds his own volume. But in fact at the beginning of the story he is forced to take the apprenticeship and for a long time he has no idea how binding works. And he does not find his own book in his mentor’s vault. Someone taunts him with his book when he goes to his first binding.
I would have loved to see what happens to our main characters! I was so invested in their love story, it felt like an abrupt ending. And I wish Seredith had a bigger role in this story, she really was my favourite character and the noblest of all!
"To have another person’s memory entrusted to you… To take the deepest, darkest part away from them and keep it safe, forever. To honour it, to make it beautiful, even though no one will ever see it. To guard it with your own life."
Although the majority of people loathed binders, she didn't let that influence her character. She stayed true to her profession until the end.
“There was sympathy in her face, as if I could tell her everything and she would understand.”
It is with Seredith that Emmett finds a real home. He carries her sympathy, morality and loyality while her own son, de Havilland, chooses a different path.
It's a pity that the point of view changes after Emmett goes to his first binding and gets his memories back. It would have been interesting to see how he gets to know his own powers and proceeds to become a fine binder. For example, the voice that he uses to curse the people that threatened to burn down Seredith's bindery with Seredith in it? This never gets mentioned again in the story.
The story also goes to show how greed and power can destroy any noble art.
Although the majority of people loathed binders, she didn't let that influence her character. She stayed true to her profession until the end.
“There was sympathy in her face, as if I could tell her everything and she would understand.”
It is with Seredith that Emmett finds a real home. He carries her sympathy, morality and loyality while her own son, de Havilland, chooses a different path.
It's a pity that the point of view changes after Emmett goes to his first binding and gets his memories back. It would have been interesting to see how he gets to know his own powers and proceeds to become a fine binder. For example, the voice that he uses to curse the people that threatened to burn down Seredith's bindery with Seredith in it? This never gets mentioned again in the story.
The story also goes to show how greed and power can destroy any noble art.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Kidnapping, Rape, Suicide, Fire/Fire injury, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual harassment, Animal cruelty, and Homophobia
Moderate: Incest, Infidelity, Alcohol, Outing, Violence, Vomit, and Sexual assault
Minor: Murder
mgxwawa13's review
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, and Suicide
Moderate: Alcoholism
Minor: Child abuse and Homophobia
xbernadette's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual violence, Vomit, Homophobia, Infidelity, Grief, Classism, Alcoholism, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Homophobia, Suicide, Alcohol, Incest, Blood, Hate crime, Animal death, Vomit, Death, Sexual harassment, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Cursing, and Adult/minor relationship
uparrowhead's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book was definitely a challenging read for me, weaved in the huge emotional plot of the story. It does have a hopeful ending, but there is a lot of darkness and pain that you'd need to get through first. I found it rewarding, however, and a very interesting read that touches on a few issues that are faced both now and throughout history.
Many of the reviews I've read call the book slow-placed. With that, I have to agree. However, I think that the pacing of the book fits the content and story that it tells quite well. At certain points, however, like the climax of the story, I can understand how it was annoying and boring to read through, but I mostly didn't mind it.
Something that I have to appalude Bridget Collins for is her use of language and description. Many of the settings of the book were written out in a way that easily sucked me right into the novel, and the writing in the book was, overall, of high quality.
I really enjoyed the premise of the novel; the idea that you could take someone's memories and bind them into a book that they will forget forever. It gave way and allowed the book to explore darker concepts of society, and made the story much more engaging to read through.
I do believe that certain parts of the story weren't developed as much as they could have been,with the death of Seredith, which seemed to stop effecting Emmett as soon as the book moved into Part Two and Three, and the ending which (although heartwarming) left some questions opened and unanswered in the story. However, I liked how the majority of the plot played out and, despite times where I wanted to throw this book across the room (which I didn't do, courtesy to it's beautiful cover), I was left satisfied and happy in the long-term of the book.
WARNING : The book does change its POVs throughout Part One, Two, and Three of the story. I personally liked how it was executed, but I know it is not for everyone, and a lot of reviews I've read on here say that it was done poorly and left readers confused.
Many of the reviews I've read call the book slow-placed. With that, I have to agree. However, I think that the pacing of the book fits the content and story that it tells quite well. At certain points, however, like the climax of the story, I can understand how it was annoying and boring to read through, but I mostly didn't mind it.
Something that I have to appalude Bridget Collins for is her use of language and description. Many of the settings of the book were written out in a way that easily sucked me right into the novel, and the writing in the book was, overall, of high quality.
I really enjoyed the premise of the novel; the idea that you could take someone's memories and bind them into a book that they will forget forever. It gave way and allowed the book to explore darker concepts of society, and made the story much more engaging to read through.
I do believe that certain parts of the story weren't developed as much as they could have been,
WARNING : The book does change its POVs throughout Part One, Two, and Three of the story. I personally liked how it was executed, but I know it is not for everyone, and a lot of reviews I've read on here say that it was done poorly and left readers confused.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Blood, Chronic illness, Classism, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Outing, Rape, Vomit, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Sexual harassment, and Suicide
Moderate: Alcoholism, Sexism, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Pedophilia