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cats_22's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
betsytomszak's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-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? It's complicated
4.25
Woof. What an adventure. Absolutely wild ride. content warnings abound - be prepared for gore.
jhansell's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Death of parent, Child death, and Cancer
mercourier's review
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.75
I wanted this book to grab me and the concept did but I found the execution messy and circular and by the last 100 pages I was skimming to get to the denouement.
Graphic: Murder
Minor: Bullying
bookph1le's review
1.0
1 star because I disliked it, not because I think the book is bad. The tl;dr is that it just didn’t work for me, even though dystopia is often my thing.
I think what made this book impossible for me to like was how weird everything was. To buy into a dystopia, the weirdness needs to be a lot more subtle. That way, I can understand why the characters buy into it. The book did address the way some family members tried to unsee the things the saw in order to grasp at a world that felt safer than the one they’d left, but that didn’t resonate with me because I felt disconnected from the characters and found them delusional. I have a hard time believing most people wouldn’t be creeped out by the level of weirdness festering in PV.
Because of this, I think the messages this book contains about corporate abuse and complicity get muddied. That’s a shame, because they’re interesting ideas.
Lastly, I really disliked the marriage dynamic. The book seemed to want to give it grace, but there was so much wrong with the dynamic that I think the book should maybe have interrogated why people tolerate as much in marriages as they do.
This was a weird and disappointing reading experience for me.
I think what made this book impossible for me to like was how weird everything was. To buy into a dystopia, the weirdness needs to be a lot more subtle. That way, I can understand why the characters buy into it. The book did address the way some family members tried to unsee the things the saw in order to grasp at a world that felt safer than the one they’d left, but that didn’t resonate with me because I felt disconnected from the characters and found them delusional. I have a hard time believing most people wouldn’t be creeped out by the level of weirdness festering in PV.
Because of this, I think the messages this book contains about corporate abuse and complicity get muddied. That’s a shame, because they’re interesting ideas.
Lastly, I really disliked the marriage dynamic. The book seemed to want to give it grace, but there was so much wrong with the dynamic that I think the book should maybe have interrogated why people tolerate as much in marriages as they do.
This was a weird and disappointing reading experience for me.
infinitezest's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
brittanystoess's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
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
3.75
Graphic: Gore, Death, Blood, Bullying, Violence, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cancer, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Classism, and Drug use
Minor: Fatphobia, Sexual content, Adult/minor relationship, and Forced institutionalization
morticia_59's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0