A review by zdoublea
Magma by Thora Hjörleifsdóttir

dark fast-paced
  • 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

3.75

i liked the way the book portrayed the change over time in abusive relationships, especially from the main characters perspective - seeing her thoughts and outlook change/fluctuate rather than focusing on the "what happened" ex the exact dialogue. at the same time, i do wish we had seen a little more of the relationship, such as explaining why she even liked him in the first place? 

i do also like what the author was doing, seeing it in snapshots, but i do think i might've liked it more if there was just more to each chapter, at least in the beginning? im not really sure, i liked parts of it but wished there was more sometimes. 

i liked the way he was written, and i also like the way he was never named. there were a lot of interesting little details like that throughout the book that made it enjoyable even if it was a quick read.

i almost cried when the mom reacted w "my girl" to her suicide attempt.
the book makes it easy to really sympathize with her, esp later in the book, even if you do think many of her decisions are dumb. i don't think i liked the ending at all, though -
the addition of the pregnancy seemed really random (but also i think im also just a bit biased against pregnancy/children plot points, so i didn't like how the ending of this book hinges on it.


i don't know, i enjoyed reading it and i found a lot of the latter half really relatable
even if he also kinda disappeared from a lot of it after her attempt
, and i liked a lot of the stylistic choices, but it left me a bit unsatisfied in other ways.

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