Reviews tagging 'Cursing'

Chlorine by Jade Song

8 reviews

matchamarimo'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? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

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vixenreader's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny tense fast-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

3.75

Despite how off-putting the main character can be, this book is a fascinating read about what it takes to truly follow your ambitions, and how toxic the communities harbouring your chances to reaching your goals can be. 
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culpeppper's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Overall, I really loved this book. I listened to the book, and the two readers they chose for Ren and Cathy's chapters suited the story really well. The story was hard to listen to, at times, with this looming threat of others preying on Ren's psyche that became reality. But I was hooked. Though Ren was definitely a sharp and guarded character, her narration of her life made me ache for her, making the ending of the story so cathartic. The main criticism I have was the pacing felt off at some points, and while it never dragged there were some drawn out parts. But, mostly, I really liked Chlorine. 

Edit: bumping this up to 5 stars, it's been weeks and I can't stop thinking about this book.......
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annoyedhumanoid's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

the narrative wasn't cohesive, the writing wasn't my favorite, and the dialogue felt unnatural. i think i wanted more of a revenge story but we didn't really get that.
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amalas_bookstop's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I think I am still trying to get my mind around what I just read. So I am giving it 4 stars, I think? 

At the start of this book you meet Ren Yu, a girl that born for the water. It starts with a love for mermaids and joining the swim team, it then slowly evolves into something else. This is a coming of age story that deals with tons of problems and pressures of being a teenage girl, both physically and mentally. 

This book doesn’t have tons of dialogue but that could be by design Ren is so obsessed and driven she doesn’t really need anyone else. Even though she does have a best friend in Cathy who she tolerates best among everyone. As you read it is very easy to get deeper up into her all in mentality and slow entry into reality of becoming a mermaid. 

Another really good novel by a debut author! 
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chughes5's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-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

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moonytoast's review against another edition

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

4.5

 Thank you so much to Netgalley and William Morrow for providing me with a digital ARC of this book!

Chorine is a searing, deranged coming-of-age story and an apt depiction of the horrors at the intersection of girlhood and competitive athletics. It's wild and unapologetically, viscerally raw. The story follows Ren Yu, a young girl obsessed with water and the mythology of mermaids who–under the devastating weight of competitive swimming–devises to shed her human form and transform into her true self: a mermaid. Her ascension into her true self is a brilliant vision of body horror.

There’s such a depth and complexity to Ren Yu that the narrative style captures and lures the reader in like a siren… I started reading this book and it’s so easy to fall into the story and completely forget a world exists outside of the one Jade Song constructs. Ren's first person narration is interjected throughout with literal messages-in-a-bottle from Cathy, Ren's friend and fellow swim team member, further detailing the relationship between the two of them and providing more insight into the timeline leading up to Ren’s grand transformation. Song's prose is strikingly evocative and one of my favorite aspects of this book. (Don't ask me how many whole paragraphs I have highlighted on my e-ARC.)

There something twisted yet beautiful about the ending—Ren Yu achieves her escape into the water and finds the home she has always desired, but at a cost. In that sense, it’s almost reminiscent of traditional mermaid folklore where the ending is not always entirely happy.

In conclusion: GIVE! ME! MORE! DERANGED! COMING-OF-AGE! TEEN! GIRL! NARRATIVES! 
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alexalala's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I devoured this book in a day. I received an ARC at an event and started reading it shortly after. I think this book is masterfully done, the writing is incredible and you can start to feel the main character, Ren's, evolution into womanhood and something else-hood very acutely. The descent into horror described on the back happens slowly and quickly, and I was definitely shocked even though I knew what she would do to herself. It also gave an interesting insight into the world of competitive sports and asks a lot of questions about whether it's right to place such pressure on young adults already going through so many changes in their bodies and minds. Overall I really enjoyed this book and am grateful to have read it before its release!
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