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The Light of the Fireflies
The Light of the Fireflies | Paul Pen
A haunting and hopeful tale of discovering light in even the darkest of places.For his whole life, the boy has lived underground, in a basement with his parents, grandmother, sister, and brother. Before he was born, his family was disfigured by a fire. His sister wears a white mask to cover her burns.He spends his hours with his cactus, reading his book on insects, or touching the one ray of sunlight that filters in through a crack in the ceiling. Ever since his sister had a baby, everyone's been acting very strangely. The boy begins to wonder why they never say who the father is, about what happened before his own birth, about why they're shut away.A few days ago, some fireflies arrived in the basement. His grandma said, There's no creature more amazing than one that can make its own light. That light makes the boy want to escape, to know the outside world. Problem is, all the doors are locked. And he doesn't know how to get out....
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DebinHawaii
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#SummerSouls

This #Fireflies title has been in my Kindle TBR for a while now. ✨

Eggs #CoverLove ✨🦟💫 5mo
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks So pretty 💙💛 5mo
47 likes2 comments
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TheSpineView
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61 likes3 comments
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Deblovestoread
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#CuriousCovers Day 19 #BlueandYellow

One of my favorite fabric color combinations. This book sits in the Kindle library. Who knows if it will ever get read?

TrishB It‘s been on my tbr for ages too! 3y
Eggs I read this several years back - great choice 💙💛💙 3y
44 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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SistaPip
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Pickpick

Hard to even know what to say about this book.... Seriously one of the darkest most twisted books I've ever read.... You know the ones where you wonder how a person could even think of such a story?

TrishB This has been on my tbr for ages! 3y
Lcsmcat I went into this one knowing nothing about it, and ended up loving it. 3y
7 likes2 comments
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DebinHawaii
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#jamminjune #fireflies

Playing catch up as this week is insane at work. This is my only book with fireflies in the title/on the cover from my Kindle. I haven‘t read it yet.

Itchyfeetreader I enjoyed this one! 4y
Lcsmcat I really liked this one. I hope you do too. 4y
Eggs This is a popular one ☝️👏🏻🤗📚 4y
55 likes3 comments
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Lcsmcat
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This book will break your heart. #fireflies #jamminJune @Eggs

Eggs 👏🏻📚 🔥📚👏🏻 4y
37 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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CSeydel
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Pickpick

#translations #AmazonCrossing

I expected a psychological thriller, which this was - but with the emphasis on "psychological" and not so much "thriller." It was a suspense book full of sordid, horrifying events, but written in a quiet, gentle, philosophical tone. If that sounds like an odd reading experience, believe me, it was.

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OrangeMooseReads
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Pickpick

Kind of wish I could hear this in its original language it‘s so beautifully written. The subject matter is tough though. This book is really good and well worth it. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

36 likes1 stack add
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OrangeMooseReads
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This is ... worth it.

Lcsmcat Absolutely ! 5y
32 likes1 comment
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OrangeMooseReads
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Started this today while I was volunteering. It‘s ... interesting. There is at least 1 tough topic which seems to be much of the bases of the story.

LinesUponAPage I heard this was really good. The cover makes it seem so innocent. 5y
OrangeMooseReads @Lifeisasnap it is good so far. Innocent it is not. 5y
Lcsmcat It‘s so worth sticking with! 5y
34 likes3 comments
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Riveted_Reader_Melissa
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Thank you so much for the gift @Elma That was incredibly kind of you.

And thank you @dariazeoli for organizing the #kindlitsy this holiday season.

Elma You're welcome! 6y
kellyann28 This was a good book! 6y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa @Elma I sent you a book too, but I haven‘t gotten an email that it was claimed. I just wanted to make sure it arrived safely on your end? 6y
64 likes1 stack add3 comments
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Echo

78% read and this book is a fucking wild ride. 😳

tojuxtapose Hahaha absolutely feel this 6y
bumpinthenight For. Real. 1mo
8 likes2 comments
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wanderinglynn
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#FriYayIntro
1. Black Panther
2. It‘s been too long since I‘ve been on a date, I wouldn‘t know. 😂
3. Don‘t have one
4. Tagged - it was too creepy

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ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled
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Pickpick

PICK!! SO CREEPY! I loved it. A boy lives in a basement with his family. They never leave (why?!). His older sister just gave birth (how?!). Everyone except him is horribly burned (why?!). The boy is curious about trying to escape the basement, but is afraid of being captured by The Cricket Man who visits at night. 😱😱😱😱

Lcsmcat I loved this one too! Very well drawn suspense. 6y
My_novel_obsession I‘m scared...but may try it! 6y
ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled @Anovelobsession If you like suspenseful/scary (like Bird Box), you‘ll like it. I couldn‘t read it fast enough! 6y
See All 9 Comments
tessavi your review made me stack it! 👍 6y
Dogearedcopy LOL, I went to go buy this on your recommendation and found I already had it in my World Book Day folder! Moving it up in my stacks 🙂 (edited) 6y
ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled @tessavi Yay! Hope you like it!! 6y
ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled @Dogearedcopy I got it on World Book Day too! I had forgotten about it until I read a Litsy post about how creepy it is. Bumped up! 6y
Tamra Oh, that is super creepy. 😵 6y
CoffeeK8 So glad you liked it, I ended up DNFing it cause it was too creepy, but I refuse to mark it like that because it was me not the book 6y
65 likes1 stack add9 comments
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CoffeeK8
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This book is ubercreepy, I‘m not sure I can finish listening to it. #putitinthefreezer

wanderinglynn I started reading it too without having read the synopsis. After 3 chapters, I quickly put it aside. I agree, too creepy. 6y
ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled Been wanting to read this for a while - I must admit, your review is making me move this to the top! 😂 6y
CoffeeK8 @wanderinglynn the language is so beautiful, but it‘s giving me a “Room” vibe and that freaks me out 6y
See All 8 Comments
CoffeeK8 @ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled 😂 it‘s beautifully written, if you like creepy I bet you‘ll love it 6y
TrishB I have this on tbr and may finally read now! 6y
wanderinglynn @CoffeeK8 Yeah, this isn‘t my genre/preferred read. Having worked in child dependency law & dealt with some tragic child stories, this story falls too close to real life for me. 6y
LoverofLit That hashtag 😂😂😂😂 6y
75 likes1 stack add8 comments
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Itchyfeetreader
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Pickpick

Incredibly well written but uncomfortable subject matter and Unpleasant characters make me feel like a probably need a bath now!

50 likes2 stack adds
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Notmacaroniandcheese
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Mehso-so

Amazon World Book Day 4/9

Wow was this book dark. The main character, an 11 year old boy, has lives his entire life in a basement with his family. Terrible things happen and when you think it can‘t get anymore terrible it proves you wrong. It is incredibly well written, however, and if this book sounds like it fits your preferred genre then you will probably like it.

TrishB I have on the tbr! 6y
27 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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Lcsmcat
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Pickpick

Imagine if Room and The Dinner were blended together. The story is gripping from the beginning and makes you want to find out why this family lives in a hidden basement, & why their dynamic is as it is. But the last 10% felt rushed and unprepared. Sister‘s behavior was believable, but Dad‘s was not. And if I were the narrator, I‘d have been WAY more bitter and vengeful. 😀

cherinium I read this a few years ago. I don't remember enough about it to even say if I liked it when I read it. I remember the premise, but no details. 6y
46 likes1 comment
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booklova007
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#MESMERIZING
Confined to an underground set of rooms with his immediate family and grandmother, the boy still manages to establish routines, play games, and cultivate a fascination with the natural world that he‘s never seen. However, when his sister gives birth, he begins to fear that his loving family—the only people he‘s ever known—are misleading him about fundamental things...

7 likes1 stack add
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Lauren_reading
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Pickpick

I‘m going with a pick because the story was so well written and I couldn‘t stop reading - even though I could have used a few mental breaks. It starts off like Room - with a whole family in a basement. It‘s a somewhat shocking and very disturbing book. I need to read some brain candy now.

66 likes3 stack adds
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Mccall0113
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I don't recall ever reading a book where the characters have no names!

tjwill Interesting! I got this from Amazon recently, still TBR. 7y
KimHM The narrator of Rebecca has no name; it drives me crazy every time I read it 😬 7y
Blueberry The Road by Cormac McCarthy had unnamed characters also. 7y
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MidnightBookGirl The main character in Swing Time is never named either. 7y
Mccall0113 @tjwill it was so-so. Quick read. I‘m trying to get out of a reading slump. My hubs downloaded it for me 7y
tpixie Ive read a couple. It‘s weird! 6y
92 likes1 stack add6 comments
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Between_The_Covers
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World Book Day! 9 free books on Amazon. Go grab them🙌🏽#yourewelcome

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Nutmegnc
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9 FREE KINDLE BOOKS!!!! Just about 2 days left. Go get 'em!!! https://www.amazon.com/article/read-the-world

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tjwill
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Has everyone seen this? Free books on Kindle! I think it‘s a US only offer though. I think I‘m going to get the tagged book, and a couple of the others are already on my Kindle TBR. #ReadTheWorld https://www.amazon.com/article/read-the-world

SandyW I downloaded a few myself, but I'm not sure when I'll be getting to them. Litsy had me backed up until June at least! 😌 7y
tjwill @SandyW Oh, yes, I know what you mean! 7y
Samplergal @SandyW June of what year? 😂 7y
tjwill @Samplergal 🙌🏽 7y
SandyW @Samplergal @tjwill Hah. 2023? 😌😌😌 7y
43 likes5 comments
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aprilpohren
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readordierachel Oh cool! 7y
LazyDays Thanks! 7y
ReadingRover I really liked The Light of Fireflies. 7y
aprilpohren You are very welcome @LazyDays ! I thought so as well @ReadOrDieRachel ! I love the cover @ReadingRover !! The story sounds so good! 7y
34 likes4 comments
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ReadingRover
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For anyone who‘s interested... this book is available free on kindle right now. I listened to it on audiobook last year and really liked it so I figured I‘d pass the info along. I happen to see it in one of my many “get these books free or discounted” emails!!!

TrishB I have this on my tbr! Not read yet... 7y
ReadingRover @TrishB There was definitely more to it than I expected. 7y
48 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Amanda61
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Today is #worldbookday 💕 so #amazon is giving away 9 kindle books. I've already snagged all 9.

https://bookriot.com/2018/04/18/celebrate-world-book-day-with-free-reads-from-am...

JennAndrew I did not know there was more than World Book Day! We already celebrated in the UK on 1st March. I assumed since it‘s called ‘World‘ Book Day, that it would be the same worldwide! 🤦🏻‍♀️ 7y
24 likes1 comment
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danesshmanes
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Not sure if y‘all have seen this but I wanted to share! Amazon is celebrating #worldbookday with these free kindle books! #diversereading #kindle

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Wandering_Jess
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I‘ve had this one on my #TBR for a while, along with some of the others on offer from Amazon for #WorldBookDay.
https://www.amazon.com/article/read-the-world

Thanks to @Daisey, where I originally saw this deal posted! #ReadTheWorld

20 likes2 stack adds
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LynnMPK
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Pickpick

My feelings are so conflicted on this book. It‘s wonderfully written and the story is immersive, but it‘s full of terrible people and horrible abuse. I like it and hate it at the same time. This is the first time I‘ve rated a book high and will immediately put it on my sell pile because I just can‘t stand looking at it.

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readingjedi
Pickpick

An intriguing & compelling read. Kinda weird & all kinds of messed up, but in a "good" way. The writing is deceptively simple - all the more to pack the punch when it comes - with the occasional glorious sentence at odds with the story it lives in. It elicits emotions - confusing, uncomfortable, unwelcome, disturbing & distressing emotions - and herein lies its strength. The pacing & structure work hand in hand to great effect .... more below??

readingjedi ... taking the reader out of the monotony/darkness of the basement to whack them over the head with the whys and wherefores. The characters were each one entirely loathsome - and yet, while I didn't exactly sympathise/empathise I did come to understand their motives and drives - horrific as their actions were! 7y
readingjedi I did however come worryingly close, to my horror & disgust, to sympathizing with certain of the characters - now THAT'S good writing! 7y
TrishB Great review 👍🏻 this has been on my tbr for a while! 7y
73 likes4 stack adds3 comments
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DrizztGirl
Pickpick

This is not a book I normally would read. In fact, I actually stopped reading it a few times thinking it was just too odd. However, I finished it and am happy I did. Hold out with it and you will be pleased

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Jess7
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A haunting and hopeful tale of discovering light in even the darkest of places. For his whole life, the boy has lived underground with his family. He spends his hours with his cactus, reading his book on insects, or touching the one ray of sunlight that filters in through a crack in the ceiling. Then some fireflies arrive in the basement, and that light makes the boy want to escape, to know the outside world. #TBR #Light #NoteworthyNovember

monalyisha Oooo! I like that description! 7y
TricksyTails You make it sound so good! And the photo is so pretty, too! 7y
Jess7 Thank you @monalyisha and @TricksyTails 🤗 7y
152 likes7 stack adds3 comments
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SBoos

Really interesting and unusual premise. Slow to get going, and the novel takes a bit to fit the various pieces together. The ending is a bit hurried -- too many loose ends inelegantly tied off -- but overall an interesting read.

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Purrfectpages
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Stretching the definition of today's tag, but fireflies make you think of camping, right? #campfirereading #jubilantjuly

MayJasper Any insect that can bite you makes me think of camping 😏 7y
Gezemice Fireflies are awesome and definitely are around campfires! 7y
Purrfectpages @Gezemice they are beautiful! 7y
38 likes1 stack add4 comments
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jm7hp
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Panpan

? 1/5
I absolutely hated this book from the moment the truth was revealed halfway... Can't say a lot without giving it away but let's just say this: two wrongs don't make a right and in this case there are too many "wrongs" from the characters the author expected us to feel sorry for...

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StephMC82

Suspenseful, emotional, psychologically thrilling...much much more than I expected. I loved, then hated, then loved the characters all over again. This is a book you will rip right through until the end!

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NikkiA
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Pickpick

Intense, disturbing & upsetting, but so very compelling. The pacing is absolutely perfect, building suspense & keeping you guessing throughout. It pulls no punches & it's pretty tough going in parts, but it's well worthwhile for the fantastic writing. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

57 likes1 stack add
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NikkiA
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OMG this is one incredibly messed up family! 😳

45 likes2 stack adds
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LorriMcMahonCastro
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Pickpick

This book is the Audible Deal of the Day. I read it as a Kindle First and loved it. I couldn't put it down. Recommended!!

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HiddenGemBooks
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Bailedbailed

For his whole life, the boy has lived underground, in a basement with his parents, grandmother, sister, and brother. Before he was born, his family was disfigured by a fire. His sister wears a white mask to cover her burns. The boy begins to wonder about what happened before his own birth, about why they‘re shut away.

I wanted to love this book, but couldn't get into it. 😕Maybe it picks up? But I got pretty far before I gave up. 🌟🌟2/5 stars

ImaginativeMom Interesting. I keep looking at it and considering it. Thanks for the review! 8y
58 likes3 stack adds1 comment
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JoeStalksBeck
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Just got this audible on Bookbub for 4$. Really looking forward to this one

[DELETED] 3803335244 This looks good 8y
Pickingclover It's definitely an interesting read. 8y
MyNamesParadise I'm curious as to what your thoughts are! I'm debating whether or not to read it. 8y
JoeStalksBeck @MyNamesParadise I will def you let you know 8y
68 likes8 stack adds4 comments
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Josie
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This creepy, dysfunctional family novel is on sale for $1.99 on Amazon today!!! I read this a few months back and thinking about it still creeps me out.

31 likes2 stack adds
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TheTallented
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Favorite dysfunctional family novel. The Light of the Fireflies was a crazy story about a family of burn victims that lives in the basement hidden from the world. Upon the sisters delivery of a baby, secrets emerge.. #24in48 #readathon

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Josie
Pickpick

The family in this book is a hot mess. No pun intended (read the book, you'll get it). While the family is extremely dysfunctional, they really do make for an interesting read. Told from two different time periods, this book concludes and leaves with a creepy, crawly feeling.

5 likes2 stack adds
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meganreadstoomuch
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Mehso-so

Seriously screwed up people. I hung on until the end because it wasn't a bad plot. Incest just always makes me nauseous and just freaks me the hell out.

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RedAce77
Pickpick

Thoroughly liked this book and the innocence of the story being told from the perspective of a child. It was very suspenseful and kept me wondering why.