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casparquarius's Reviews (91)
I honestly didn't expect much from this, as books told from the perspective of a child often fall flat for me in their execution. this, though, really nailed it. it was exceptionally creepy and Bela's internal narration felt a lot like reading some of my writing from when I was her age. this book is deeply unsettling in the best way, and I liked it really a lot
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Lesbophobia, Outing, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Racial slurs
I didn't expect much from this, as the last Tremblay I read left me kinda cold, but it was a lot of fun! the then/now format really worked for me, the interspersed sections of script, the slow reveal of information, it all came together really nicely. it's not mind blowing or my top book of the decade but I really enjoyed my time with it.
this book is weird and visceral and deeply compelling. I didn't know what to expect at all, and I'm glad for it because the ride was so worth being surprised by
there were things I really loved about this book, and I enjoyed reading it but ultimately I felt like I just wanted more
despite the fact that the writing style is not really for me, this was such an effective horror novel and I deeply enjoyed it. it was so intensely creepy in a way I'm constantly looking for from horror reads and rarely get
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-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
intense gorey trans horror is so much my jam. the House chapters, especially the first one, were very cool, and the Hannah chapter as well. I respect the heavy-handedness of the book, but I do think it could have benefited from more moments of subtlety, especially as it felt like the writing was tripping over itself at times.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Gaslighting, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail