Reviews with content warning for Body horror - Chlorine

I loved this book, and I tore through it. Read content warnings!! What an interesting debut novel. I loved the writing. I usually don’t care for high school stories, but this one worked so well. God it was fantastic.

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alaris's review against another edition

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challenging dark fast-paced

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

3.0

If you're fine with body horror and self harm and tales of obsession, this is... still really dark. Interesting idea, uneven approach to it.

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joensign's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense slow-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

4.0

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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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minamouse's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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

4.25

This book was visceral and raw in a way that I was not expecting. And while there is a magical element to the story overall, I found myself wondering if some of these things were actually happening or if they were driven by the MCs very obviously undiagnosed mental illness. This book is a fever dream that I enjoyed immensely.

However, I wouldn't really describe the relationship between Ren and Cathy as romantic. They both have weird obsessions with one another, and by the end of the novel

I was relieved that they parted ways

. Ren is annoyed by Cathy's presence but is also craves her attention. Cathy is in love with the idea of Ren, but it's difficult to tell if she is attracted to her or if she wants to be her.

Other than the oddly placed sapphic subplot I think this novel is wonderful. A solid 4.25 out of 5 ⭐. Looking forward to seeing what this author comes out with next!

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