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ravenclaw_28's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, War, and Classism
ellianderjoy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Ableism, Domestic abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and War
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Infidelity, Sexual assault, and Car accident
isabella_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Mental illness, Pedophilia, and Grief
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
rieviolet's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The writing style especially felt a little bit flat for me, I found the prose either quite plain or overdone, too much sensational. The narrative was a bit disjointed and slow-moving. At times, it felt like the descriptions dragged on and there was little else under the surface to keep you engaged.
As the story progressed and more and more dark themes were added, it became quite a lot to digest. I think that this darkenss, paired with the really gothic setting and the supernatural undertones, made the story feel at times a little bit "too much", too melodramatic.
I admit that I'm not really keen on taxidermy so maybe it's mostly on me, but I still think that there were really too many details about the animals
that added little to the story. Especially in the final part of the book, there were way too many lists, I counted at least 5, interminable catalogues of animals and objects that really took me out of the reading experience and just annoyed me.
I can appreciate the ending chosen for the main characters but the story
and its characters did not particularly stand out to me, it was just okay. I think I came into it with too high expectations and so I was even more disappointed.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Ableism, Animal death, Infidelity, Racism, Rape, Sexual content, Violence, Car accident, Murder, and War
Minor: Alcoholism, Fatphobia, Miscarriage, Vomit, and Lesbophobia
urs's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Child abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Blood, Vomit, Car accident, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, and War
sarah984's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Confinement
Moderate: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and War
Minor: Incest, Infidelity, and Sexual violence
longlost's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
The narration by both POV characters felt very genuine as women in the late 30s, and the gothic mystery elements were very well done. You do feel the tension as Hetty struggles to understand what is going on with the animals she's been charged to care for, and the strange responses from some of the people at Lockwood. Lucy is a beacon of light in this book; where every other character is dismissive and at times outright cruel, Lucy meets Hetty's concerns with kindness and empathy.
Their romance is also lovely to read; Healey develops their connection in an incredibly heartfelt way, and you find yourself rooting for Hetty and Lucy to reach their happy ending at the book's conclusion.
It's important to note that the book has no shortage of potentially triggering content; there are heavy themes of mental health issues that can be uncomfortable to read about, along with the end stretch of the book revealing a pedophilic relationship in a way that is very jarring and graphic. This is definitely a book to approach cautiously if you're triggered by any of the things listed in the content warnings.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Infidelity, Rape, Sexual content, and War
Minor: Vomit
emmathetanner's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
holliejoy's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Grief, Car accident, and Death of parent
emmaward55's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, and Sexual content
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Chronic illness, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Grief
Minor: Miscarriage and Vomit
Regarding all sexual violence: