Scan barcode
michaelion's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Okay.
I like stories with kids uncovering forgotten histories and secrets, especially in this place with its feeling of being a forgotten land. Don't like the manic pixie dream next door, but hell it was written in the 90s I'll cut it some slack. I judge books by their covers and I bought this as a teen because it was beautiful. The book itself is nice, fine. Feels like a debut novel. So much of the backstories being told in the form of dialogue instead of just switching perspectives to tell the story in the past took me out of it. If I'm thinking "People don't talk like this!" whenever I read something, I know I'm taking points off. I don't like how quick the ending was, but only because you didn't really get to sit with the main character and the titular character after the mystery's been solved. So it's a fine book like it's okay. It's whatever. I'm being harsh. It's alright.
I like stories with kids uncovering forgotten histories and secrets, especially in this place with its feeling of being a forgotten land. Don't like the manic pixie dream next door, but hell it was written in the 90s I'll cut it some slack. I judge books by their covers and I bought this as a teen because it was beautiful. The book itself is nice, fine. Feels like a debut novel. So much of the backstories being told in the form of dialogue instead of just switching perspectives to tell the story in the past took me out of it. If I'm thinking "People don't talk like this!" whenever I read something, I know I'm taking points off. I don't like how quick the ending was, but only because you didn't really get to sit with the main character and the titular character after the mystery's been solved. So it's a fine book like it's okay. It's whatever. I'm being harsh. It's alright.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Ableism, Child death, and Death
Moderate: Murder, Stalking, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Xenophobia, Blood, Drug use, and Torture
Minor: Hate crime, Cancer, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, War, Terminal illness, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, and Death of parent
wiktoria88's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Physical abuse, Self harm, and Terminal illness
bookswithjk's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
As a tale about life and death, about the drive to stop and reverse the inevitable decay of our own bodies, Marina is a tense imaginative mystery with elements of Frankenstein woven into it, although the “scientist” did not create the monster but instead became his own monstrous creation. One brief particular scene at the end brought to mind Nina from Full Metal Alchemist.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Self harm, Terminal illness, and Violence
More...