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vigil's reviews
189 reviews
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Blood, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
the plot is admittedly thin, and i think the book takes about 100 pages to solidify itself into what it later becomes, but i found it perfectly readable in the meantime. the ending….. is not unfathomable for someone like cassie, but i think the implementation could’ve been much better. i think the lack of plot was the book’s strength and detriment in different areas.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Miscarriage, Violence, Blood, Grief, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Pedophilia
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual content
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Kidnapping, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
- 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
4.0
i think in another kind of book, it would have put the mystery first, exposing catherine, understanding the full scope of plasm, shutting down the schools, and then have the protagonist reckon with their own internal emptiness afterwards, remarking on how solving the mystery didn't solve them. catherine house, does not share this typical format, having its protagonist get out. no school or mystery, creepy plasm cult or not, can nor should be your whole life.
what is plasm? i have no idea. it was explained to me and i still don't understand, so i wasn't bothered when that wasn't explored because i didn't care anyways.
i loved the way the author got the atmosphere across so clearly with very detailed, but uncomplicated prose. ines existed in this "sideways" and detached existence, with the author writing in the hazy aura ines clearly felt, until the end, when she starts getting (almost jarringly) clear.
i will say, i think this book wasted a lot of time, but also didn't use enough. i don't like dark academia aesthetic so i'm biased, but the multiple descriptions of food, parties, buildings, and landscapes did bore me. there are multiple scenes in the book that i think are genuinely unnecessary and other technically not needed. however, i would describe this book as drifting along a stream, not building up to something bigger, so the extra scenes didn't bother me too badly. that being said, you can only half pay attention to this book and still get the gist, which i did myself in some places when listening to the audiobook. (which is fantastic btw.)
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cursing, Death, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol