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kemia'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? No
4.75
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and Alcohol
book_hang_o_ver's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Kya is such a resilient, thoughtful, and brilliant character… of course the descriptions about how beautiful she is vs the swamp trash were at times distracting but necessary to building further tension between the men, the town, and her.
I didn’t know this was a murder mystery coming in to the book (I know, I know- how?! But I avoided all the hype and didn’t watch the movie adaptation 😅), and I genuinely enjoyed this plot line as a means to move the story forward.
Personally- I loved the ending. It felt VERY appropriate looking back at some of the foreshadowing and earlier reflections from Kya.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Racism, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Moderate: Infidelity, Grief, and Gaslighting
Minor: Infertility
haleysversion's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Classism
annamwallace66's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism
thaleia_ragoussi's review against another edition
- 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? No
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Cursing, Infertility, Blood, Grief, Car accident, and Death of parent
matildag00's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
3.0
I have mixed feelings..
The description of the "marsh" was beautiful but drawn out while reading those parts but while in the courtroom it was all I wanted just as much as Kya wanted it (ps. listened to the entire book on audio and thought her name was spelled "Kaia"). The mystery was okay and I was satisfied with the ending. it held my attention the entire last chapter but overall the courtroom stuff was a bit drawn out. Also did not like the in detailed description of her.. "discovering herself" with other people- felt very weird when she was like 15
I think that this week when I sat down and said "I'm gonna finish this book by October 16 (last day to see the movie on Netflix) was the best choice for me but because it took me so long to finish this I can't give it a higher rating... like I said: A mixed bag of feelings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, and Abandonment
Moderate: Racism, Rape, and Murder
Minor: Infertility, Racial slurs, and Death of parent
sammirosewater's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infertility, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
thequiltyreader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Slow start but picked up pace around half way through. The author really brought out the pain caused by abandonment and also the prejudices Kya was subject to.
The connection Kya had with the natural world around her was lovely to read.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism
letiross'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
4.5
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Abandonment, and Classism
Moderate: Racism, Rape, and Murder
Minor: Infertility, Racial slurs, and Death of parent
jodar'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The novel focuses quite a bit on the beauty of the natural world, which weaves in well with the plot line. I thought the pacing of the plot was good, though more use of foreshadowing would have worked more powerfully. Also, the musings by the MC on evolutionary biology and human behaviour struck me as quite reductionist, and seemed to be a way of explaining away the characters’ actions without psychological depth or ambiguity. The interweaved poetry occasionally worked well, but more often felt a bit jarring.
Overall, if you don’t expect too much, it is a great “airport read”.
CW: Extramarital sex.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Abandonment
Moderate: Confinement, Infidelity, Mental illness, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Infertility, Racial slurs, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, and Death of parent