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3.44 AVERAGE
3.44 AVERAGE
I really enjoyed Amanda Leduc's nonfiction work Disfigured so I had high hopes for her novel. Unfortunately... I think I actually hated it. There are major points in this that really grossed me out to the point that I wish I had never read them. There were interesting elements for sure and pieces I did enjoy, but they were overwhelmed with a ton of mess. Intriguing plot points and character dynamics became irrelevant in favor of dramatic theatrics. Overall it felt pointless.
Have I mentioned that parts of this book were simply gross?? I need brain bleach stat. I also can't get over the fact that Amanda Leduc made the centaurs pretty much the only Black characters (and some of the very few PoC characters in general) who are magical outcasts. Seriously, did an editor even read this?? How did anyone think this was a good idea??
Could there have been an interesting and thought-provoking story about disability and maybe post partum depression in here? Yes, but unfortunately the author completely fumbled it and I've sadly lost a lot of respect for her.
Have I mentioned that parts of this book were simply gross?? I need brain bleach stat. I also can't get over the fact that Amanda Leduc made the centaurs pretty much the only Black characters (and some of the very few PoC characters in general) who are magical outcasts. Seriously, did an editor even read this?? How did anyone think this was a good idea??
Could there have been an interesting and thought-provoking story about disability and maybe post partum depression in here? Yes, but unfortunately the author completely fumbled it and I've sadly lost a lot of respect for her.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
There was so much about this book that I wanted to love: the increasingly bizarre fabulism, the authentic-feeling folktales sprinkled in, the cryptic main character, the unexpected but vivid post-apocalyptic setting. But it just didn’t land. The story dragged its feet, the characters behaved in unusual and frustrating ways, the disparate pieces never quite seemed to come together in with anything resembling satisfaction. I think I really liked how this book said what it had to say. But… I kind of hated what it had to say, both about humans and their relationships to each other, and about our relationships to the land and our homes. It rang hollow, pessimistic, and unsure of itself. I’ll watch what Leduc puts out next, and am still very much intending to read her nonfiction Disfigured: On Fairy Tales, Disability, and Making Space, but this one was mostly a miss for me.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I like the plot, characters and message of the story. I also like how all the stories in between come together in the end.
Finished simply because I had to see where the heck the author was going with it. But whoa what a random ride that was.
This book is about:
- A spiteful magical mountain.
- The human drive for survival.
- Monsters and in-between things.
- Stories. (that we tell ourselves and others.)
- A magical, natural, apocalypse.
- Grief.
This book is also:
-Slow to get going.
-A little repetitive at times.
-Very weird.
Sometimes you just want a weird book. A book that makes its own rules. A book that feels grown out of the wild seeds in an author's brain, rather than being carefully planned out.
This is that book.
- A spiteful magical mountain.
- The human drive for survival.
- Monsters and in-between things.
- Stories. (that we tell ourselves and others.)
- A magical, natural, apocalypse.
- Grief.
This book is also:
-Slow to get going.
-A little repetitive at times.
-Very weird.
Sometimes you just want a weird book. A book that makes its own rules. A book that feels grown out of the wild seeds in an author's brain, rather than being carefully planned out.
This is that book.
I love books that incorporate fairytales, but was too disappointed by the community action in this book
I think I liked it, it just could not hold my attention.
Dark dystopian fable. Beautifully written, if not a tad repetitive in spots. Overall, I really enjoyed this story.