coralinejones's Reviews (556)

Didn't resonate with me like I thought it would. I almost wish I had read this in an academic setting, as I know I'm supposed to really pull this text apart and get something out of it, but I was bored and dissatisfied more than anything else.

What I did grab from the narrative is this: A man is not appreciated by his family the way he's "supposed to be". Much like Frankenstein, where man is belittled and isolated from society for being a monster, except in this instance he's an insect. Because he's "ugly" and "useless" he is not to be treated as human. Typically, these sorts of learning lessons really hit home for me. I know how it feels to be isolated by looks; being an outcast because I have a facial deformity. 

Though, like stated above, this really didn't do much for me. I don't think I cared past the first sentence, really. I hate not liking classics but... At least I understand the memes I see all over BookTwt now.

This is the best book I've ever read. This is the best book I've read all year. I have mixed feelings about the ending but I'm overall very in love with this novel and wish I had read it sooner.

The writing style in this book is abysmal.

I also feel uncomfortable that a white author wrote this, given the slurs and heavy racism explored in this novel.

Well. Shit.

I don't know how I made it until the end. I wanted to DNF this multiple times, yet each time I saw how far I was into the story I figured I'd keep going. Unfortunately for me this was a waste of time.

The premise is gorgeous, gothic, absolutely haunting; everything about this story SCREAMS me. However, it seemed to fall short on everything it promises. Not too fond of the pacing in this book, didn't really care for any of the characters, nor was it an easy task to decipher who was who. They all sort of blended together after a while.

Not to mention the lack of world building for my personal taste. I felt as though we were thrown into this world expected to know everything and the book never made a habit to fill in the blanks.

I understand why everyone enjoys this so much, however, this just wasn't for me. I don't see myself perusing the rest of the series.

The writing just isn't for me. I had a hard time following the events of the story and didn't care enough about any of the characters, especially Temple, to march through the rest of the story. It's like the author had a bunch of thoughts and the second another popped into their mind they began frantically writing the scene without any flow or narrative 

Someone compared this book to Nancy Drew and I would have to agree! I had fun.