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kell_xavi's review
sad
slow-paced
3.0
The first squid scene was wonderful, capturing well the skill of Zoey’s aunt and the beauty of the wild creature. Arnott uses lovely poetic language, often about the weather or character affect, that is a primary draw here. The winding characters and scenes in a desolate setting where beauty and roiling memory are the only constants reminded me of Cormac McCarthy, though the style is the author’s own. I wasn’t sure what the purpose of the larger narrative was: it’s neither a strong character study nor a substantial mystery with any resolution.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Animal death
Moderate: Body horror, Gun violence, and War
Minor: Vomit
curatoriallyyours's review
adventurous
reflective
medium-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
4.0
This book was unlike anything I’ve read before in terms of genre - a little bit of magical realism, a little bit of dystopian, but mostly this book was a deep dive on trauma and the way it manifests in different people. Ren literally runs for the hills to become a reclusive hermit while Zoe hardens and inflicts harm on others. Zoe’s evolution as a character was the most compelling to me. The ending was a little open-ended for my liking and one thing bothered me throughout the book - if you’re in the middle of a long-term military coup, surely getting fuel for a multi-day road trip would be at least a little challenging but it is never mentioned! A little thing but it really bugged me every time someone was driving!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Medical content
Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, Death, War, Violence, Vomit, Torture, Sexual content, Self harm, Murder, and Mental illness
Minor: Death of parent
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