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ka_ke's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
If you enjoy dark realism thrillers this is a must read!
Graphic: Body horror, Medical content, Medical trauma, Sexual content, Blood, Body shaming, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Chronic illness, Death, Incest, Misogyny, Murder, Bullying, Death of parent, and Animal death
Minor: Pedophilia and Torture
cheye13's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I love, love the structure of this. First off, I thought it was dual perspective with Ada and Samson, but being all through Ada's ("unnatural") perspective broken up by accounts of her own "myth" from townspeople was perfect for the atmosphere. I reread it almost immediately just to take in the vibes.
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Minor: Death of parent, Murder, Incest, Infidelity, Pedophilia, and Adult/minor relationship
Most of the issues are talked around in vague terms, aside from the medical practices of Ada and her father.fraboo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Mental illness, Murder, Pregnancy, and Sexual content
ianders's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
From this starting point, we get a dark kind of romance developping. When I say dark, I don't mean forbidden love exactly, but that the relationship is rather sick, unbalanced, and darken by one particular err aspect of the guy's life (heed trigger warnings). The main character suffers from a kind of loneliness that is relatable but that renders her a morally ambiguous being. I did not find her completely unlikeable per se, only her choices can be a little repugnant, which made the story very interesting, even if I did not root for her in the end.
I was squicked by the romantic relationship, but I was engrossed in its trajectory (which I gather was the point). I was mostly intrigued by the father-daughter dynamic, though. There is an air of mystery around the strict, taciturn father. The divide between someone who is content being wild and a stranger to humanity, and another who is alienated both by her nature and the humans surrounding her. For a short story, it conveyed a lot on that front.
I also enjoyed all the different perspectives from the villagers peppered throughout the text, like a handful of people interviewed about the strange neighbor they used to reluctantly seek services from. I thought their voices, brief as they were, were also distinct against one another. The range of opinions formed a better picture of the main character, like pieces of the same puzzle that still don't all fit together.
I only wish the story was longer, a full-length novel. I was not ready to part with it when it ended and, frankly, would have preferred a different focus than the romance. It was still good, mind you, but while it gave me insight on the kind of person the main character was, it was not what interested me the most about her. Still a cool, uncanny experience though.
Graphic: Body horror and Medical content
Moderate: Incest, Murder, Pedophilia, and Toxic relationship
moonlit_paperbacks's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.5
Graphic: Medical content and Gore
Moderate: Murder