Reviews with content warning for Child abuse - Chlorine

Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

Chlorine by Jade Song

20 reviews

nostalgicbaby's review against another edition

tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

i think this book would’ve been more enjoyable if the story was told more chronologically if that makes sense. i felt as though the narrators inner dialogue basically gave away the ending in the first few chapters which made the rest of the book predictable and the ending wasn’t satisfying because of it. if the tension was built more gradually through the book i think the last few chapters would’ve been more shocking. i also didn’t feel super connected to any of the characters or really invested in them and their relationships. with all that being said though, it was pretty readable and i got through it semi quickly. even though i wasn’t in love with it, there was something about it that kept me from putting it down and moving on, which is why it’s not a dnf.

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le_mur's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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ksgoetz's review against another edition

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peakoldladylife's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.75

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honey_crystals's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I didn't go into the book with any expectations, but I was pleasantly surprised. I finished this book as quickly as I did because the writing was as snappy and as brutal as a snake, with the same amount of bite too. This is definitely going to be a weird and almost twisted good time for Earthlings fans.

I don't know, and I don't want to know, if there is an official interpretation of Ren's desire and descent (ascent?) into being a mermaid, but I feel like it was related to her fatal pursuit of perfection of the self.

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bluedilly's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

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kepler's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced

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

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another_dahlia's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense medium-paced

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? It's complicated

3.5

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amandadevoursbooks's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This is a fever dream of a book that blends the real-world with transformative magic. This novel reads like the memoir filled with growing up with a working mom, a dad in a different country, and a sport to fill the gaps.

Ren, our narrator, is now a mermaid. She is looking back on her transformation from swimmer who thirsts for water and chlorine to her leaving her family and friends for a life in the water as a mermaid. It is achingly beautifully written. As a former competitive swimmer, it resonated with me.

I could taste the chlorinated air, hear the sets calling out, and feel my muscles moving as I read the text. I also appreciated the perspective on her childhood sapphic crush.

I struggled reading about the creepy coach. I hate, hate, hate adults in power who do everything up to physically abusing kids.

I hated that they didn't catch that she was hiding her head injury and her sexual assault. I also hated coach Jim touching her and pressing her to swim above everything else.

Ren's narration felt very real and very alien to me. It highlighted how different her brain works as a mermaid and maybe how much she needed to transform.

At its heart, this book is about transformation and growing up and leaving relationships and worlds behind to be who you are meant to become. It's about the pressures to shape your body and yourself into something you are not until you realize you have to break free. It's a very worth-while read.

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faeriviera's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Uh...wow.

Lyrical prose, deeply unsettling, ultimately does precisely what it sets out to do, which is show how damaging the pressures of being teenage girls, particularly those who don't fit the molds of "normal", can be. <You will likely pray for the comeuppance of every man in her life but I'm warning you now, it will not come. >

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