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alouette's reviews
258 reviews
- 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
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
What truly goes hungry when it is denied girls to devour- is the castle. May we live to see it starve.
cute little read. stories were shorter and simpler than i expected, but i loved the color pencil art and sweetness of it.
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
4.5
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
- 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
5.0
the idea of the person you built your life around being gone, rethinking your whole relationship with them, the mystery of their death being so dark and twisted, it was all very well-crafted. one of the first mysteries where i haven't wanted to speed through to find out what happens, because the characters and other plot beats are so gorgeous and fascinating that it would be a mistake to go too fast. the dialogue is also so cleverly funny, even in the most tense moments! i don't even mind that andrew was a basic white boy at first, by the end of things he had my heart for how real and flawed he was, and the way he was just barely learning who he was as his own person. the book too had its flaws, such as the depth of some characters and being a bit overly sensual at times, but i adore it regardless.
He was going to take that 'maybe' to his grave.
i'll likely have more to say upon rereading, which i will definitely be doing. also, the narrator's deep southern accent was SO PERFECT. this was my first real southern gothic and i'm so glad for it!
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Suicide, Blood, and Grief
Moderate: Sexual content
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
the story is very straightforward, and there is a distinct lack of memorable moments. the characters are set into stereotypes for most of the novel and there's really no exploration of them once they break out of that right at the end. aside from realizing she's queer, Aria didn't develop at all- she doesn't have to face any consequences from the dumb decisions she makes and she doesn't seem to have any interests.
about the cheating, because it was a big thing that completely threw me for a loop and tainted the book for me: i don't mind cheating as a plot point. but the fact that neither character acknowledges it or makes a move for it to become a normal relationship instead of cheating REALLY got on my nerves. lisa is made to be so obviously antagonistic that it feels like a parody instead of the emotional coming of age book it's advertised as being. never have i rolled my eyes at a relationship so hard! in the end it was kind of cute that Aria's first love was just the beginning of so much else in her life, but when it came at the cost of glossing over all her other relationships- especially to her grandmother, who got about 1 meainingful conversation with her- it doesn't really raise the rating.
also this did not have nearly enough of kath and lily for a book advertised as a companion to Last Night at the Telegraph Club! they get one newspaper snippet and one photograph and that's it!
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Sexual content, Medical content, and Dementia
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
this is a very difficult, very beautiful novel. i don't think i would've been able to make it through if i related any more to the characters (or was less able to numb myself to their pain). they are all such complicated, broken people and the fact that no one could protect Mungo had me in tears. even when he had to do what he did to protect himself, all i felt was sadness. i had to hold on really tight to the comfort of Mungo's relationships with James and with his sister <3
for all the darkness, my favourite part was the chance for us as readers to choose a happy ending in the implications of the very last scene. the world was and is and will be fill of terrible cultures and places and people, but we will find reasons to keep going.
my second favourite part was when Mungo kissed James and thought "maybe if lord of the flies had been more like this he would've paid more attention." same, bud, same
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Homophobia, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Police brutality and Fire/Fire injury
- 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
It doesn't need some catastrophic tragedy to turn the chemicals of his brain against him. Tiny tragedies are more than enough.
Dev and Charlie were so adorable within just the first chapter that i was grinning like a fool for most of the novel. the angst made me want to scream, which was an unexpectedly visceral reaction for me and showed just how invested i had gotten in these characters. the audiobook narrators were notably so amazing! every voice crack and "oh, love" and even the correct pronunciation of Dev's name throughout hit me right in the heart.
'Forever is never a guarantee. I don't know if I'm going to love them for the rest of my life, but I know right now, I can't imagine a future where I don't love them. And for me, that's enough.'
overall i'm just so happy that their privilege was acknowledged (including by themselves) but their feelings were never treated like less because of this. choose happy endings, my friends!
Graphic: Biphobia, Mental illness, Vomit, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Moderate: Alcoholism and Sexual content
Minor: Medical content and Injury/Injury detail