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gxuosi's Reviews (390)
3.5; it was literally fine. it was a decent enough harrowing plot for a middle grade book, but i felt like the conflict and its resolution were really rushed after over half of the book built up the ambiance and day to day life of the wood family. it obviously avoided any of the sexual jealousy, envious hate, and sexual violence that came hand in hand with witch accusations, cause it’s a middle grade book. but without higher stakes it felt like there was no real threat to anyone in the story other than abject mentions of a hanging and flogging from the past or stockades of the present. it was literally fine, mid, a decent read.
dnf at 37% for now. i’m just not feeling this book… at least right now. it’s not at all what i thought it would be. i expected more of a feel good but sad slice of life book with way more focus on the cat that dominates the title and cover. but it’s not that at all. i may come back to this another time when i’m prepared for it. **reread update. dnf at 74% this book fucking sucks. i hate it so bad. its not enjoyable, its not kind, its not sad in a tasteful or meaningful way. its violent for no reason and depressing and NOT ABOUT A CAT.
“but no one had ever told me that i was allowed to scream.” can you really blame me for becoming the monster you demanded me to be?
dnf at 20%. i snagged a copy of this for free last night after the author reached out on booktok to promote their novel in pursuit of reviews and traction. i was super excited for the plot and concept, but was disappointed with the hurdles between me and getting to the plot.
the book is in pretty big need of an editor. there's sections where words are misused; homophones like reeked (stank) and wreaked (wrought). there's also a reoccurring issue where lines are redundant or repetitive—ie: "Fresh air like I had never experienced before flew through the strands of my tangled hair. The hair became knotted and I tied it up into a bun with a piece of rope." with a little fine tuning, much of this could be fixed for a more seamless reading experience.
the first 5 chapters, introduction, and prologue are balanced between a sluggish pace and the quick introduction of a wide cast of characters. while some characters were unique and intriguing, they reasonably lacked depth this early on. but less acceptable was that other main characters fell particularly flat. by chapter 6, we pick up pace with the plot and the story hit some notes that really sold me on what i was reading. but that too was stunted by the recurring editing issues i had with the previous section.
i'd happily give this a 2nd try after some editing or a revised edition comes out.
the book is in pretty big need of an editor. there's sections where words are misused; homophones like reeked (stank) and wreaked (wrought). there's also a reoccurring issue where lines are redundant or repetitive—ie: "Fresh air like I had never experienced before flew through the strands of my tangled hair. The hair became knotted and I tied it up into a bun with a piece of rope." with a little fine tuning, much of this could be fixed for a more seamless reading experience.
the first 5 chapters, introduction, and prologue are balanced between a sluggish pace and the quick introduction of a wide cast of characters. while some characters were unique and intriguing, they reasonably lacked depth this early on. but less acceptable was that other main characters fell particularly flat. by chapter 6, we pick up pace with the plot and the story hit some notes that really sold me on what i was reading. but that too was stunted by the recurring editing issues i had with the previous section.
i'd happily give this a 2nd try after some editing or a revised edition comes out.
i love a good story about nothing where it’s all just vibes. but this anthology was story after story about nothing and lacking in vibes. each one drowned in an overly expansive cast of characters as the narrative meanders down a lane to nowhere all while saying nothing.
just good stupid fun man. i love a book that doesn't take itself too damn seriously and really leans into the manic energy of a flabbergasting plot.
oh these emotionally constipated idiots <3 the manic ketamine speed cocktail energy i loved in relic 1 isn’t in relic 2, but by god grumpy/sunshine adversaries to begrudging teammates to lovers slays so hard
this was a really tough read for me, punishing at times. it took me far longer than it should have. and it’s not necessarily fair to say it’s the book’s fault because the world got some pretty life altering news while i was reading this and it sort of fucked everything up for me. so did this book just not work for me or was my decaying mental health the issue? who knows! but i’m gonna put off reading the next 2 books for a while. **edit im back! ive read something else since i wrote this review and it’s the book’s fault!! i just didn’t like this book apparently!!
bro how tf do you write a review of any substance for a collection like that??? it’s like a metronome swinging back and forth between biographies, deaths, births, odes to women all culminating in a single song.