daisywilkes's reviews
172 reviews

For the Throne by Hannah Whitten

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.0

All the Living and the Dead by Hayley Campbell

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dark funny hopeful informative inspiring sad fast-paced

4.0

Monsters: A Fan's Dilemma by Claire Dederer

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dark funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

3.0

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

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challenging dark tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Lolita is told in the voice of a fictional memoir- Humbert speaks directly to the reader, becoming the author of his memoir about his sexual relationship with a minor. A child we never learn anything about other than her many names.

The story of a serial predator who grooms a young girl, abducts her, takes her on a cross country road trip, prevents her escape and abuses her at every turn.

This book is great in its intentionality - nothing here is an accident. The intention of Humbert Humbert is unfortunately not uncommon nor unusual and Nabokov uses Lolita to hold up a mirror to our society and what it ignores. It's terrible and unthinkable and appealing and it happens all the time.

"The book is ultimately not a portrait of a monster, but a portrait of a girl's annihilation." - Claire Dederer

Content Warnings