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teresaelj's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
God I loved this book.
The perfect circular way this book was written.
Iris is the perfect main character, flawed and stunning and kind and passionate and agh! I love her.
The way Macneal mirrors iris and rose and then Louis and Silas is brilliant. The concepts of obsession vs love, male gaze vs female gaze, and the concept of true freedom are explored so beautifully. I cannot recommend this book enough. It is so elegantly told as well as beautifully written. Just stunning.
The perfect circular way this book was written.
Iris is the perfect main character, flawed and stunning and kind and passionate and agh! I love her.
The way Macneal mirrors iris and rose and then Louis and Silas is brilliant. The concepts of obsession vs love, male gaze vs female gaze, and the concept of true freedom are explored so beautifully. I cannot recommend this book enough. It is so elegantly told as well as beautifully written. Just stunning.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Misogyny, Violence, Stalking, and Murder
Minor: Abandonment
hocuscrocus's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
WOW. What a read! This is an immediate classic in my mind and I'll be reading it again very soon.
The thing I appreciated the most is how so delightfully balanced the author is with her details. She doesn't shy away from how gross Victorian London was, but she doesn't use it for shock value, either. She is clearly well-researched in the history and language of the time, but she doesn't spoon feed the reader with it.
It was truly a delight to read.
The thing I appreciated the most is how so delightfully balanced the author is with her details. She doesn't shy away from how gross Victorian London was, but she doesn't use it for shock value, either. She is clearly well-researched in the history and language of the time, but she doesn't spoon feed the reader with it.
It was truly a delight to read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Stalking, Murder, and Alcohol
Moderate: Cancer, Sexual content, and Abandonment
Minor: Misogyny and Sexism
lovebexdeath's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
5.0
I really loved this. There's a beautiful analogy of art used throughout the story and the characters are all so intriguing. I will definitely be reading this again in the future, but definitely check content warnings!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Confinement, Misogyny, Sexism, Torture, Kidnapping, Stalking, and Abandonment
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Murder