The Shape of Water by Guillermo del Toro & Daniel Kraus -- Starting January 3rd 2022

[Jenn]

It is 1962, and Elisa Esposito—mute her whole life, orphaned as a child—is struggling with her humdrum existence as a janitor working the graveyard shift at Baltimore’s Occam Aerospace Research Center. Were it not for Zelda, a protective coworker, and Giles, her loving neighbor, she doesn’t know how she’d make it through the day.

Then, one fateful night, she sees something she was never meant to see, the Center’s most sensitive asset ever: an amphibious man, captured in the Amazon, to be studied for Cold War advancements. The creature is terrifying but also magnificent, capable of language and of understanding emotions…and Elisa can’t keep away. Using sign language, the two learn to communicate. Soon, affection turns into love, and the creature becomes Elisa’s sole reason to live.

But outside forces are pressing in. Richard Strickland, the obsessed soldier who tracked the asset through the Amazon, wants nothing more than to dissect it before the Russians get a chance to steal it. Elisa has no choice but to risk everything to save her beloved. With the help of Zelda and Giles, Elisa hatches a plan to break out the creature. But Strickland is on to them. And the Russians are, indeed, coming.

[Brigia]

Uneducated women, ch 26

(view spoiler)[ I started this some days ago and it’s been a bit slow for me. I might just not be in the mood for something so dark. Also, I’m not really a fan of so many pov‘s… I am curious about what will happen, though. (hide spoiler)]

[❀ Crystal ✿ -]

Hoping to join you in this asap 🤓

[Brigia]

Creative Taxidermy, chapter 3
(view spoiler)[ So, I still think this is interesting and also disturbing. I hate reading about animals being tortured - the kid dissecting the living lizard like that was really creepy! My favorite character so far is Laini. I hope she will get her independence back! The whole story is also depressing, I cannot imagine how this could end well… (hide spoiler)]

[❀ Crystal ✿ -]

Shape of Water
(view spoiler)[Well this is never good when scientists and military types find something like this creature. (hide spoiler)]

[❀ Crystal ✿ -]

Uneducated Women
(view spoiler)[Oh man this is kinda dry for me and hard to stay focused. But this is interesting finally seeing Eliza interact with the creature. Of course it’s music that helps them communicate. (hide spoiler)]

[❀ Crystal ✿ -]

Creative Taxidermy
(view spoiler)[I’m glad Giles finally gave in to help. But I’m so lost, is she really going to just like, keep this thing at her home? In her apartment.? Why not just go to the ocean? (hide spoiler)]

[❀ Crystal ✿ -]

Finished
(view spoiler)[Honestly things looked pretty dark in the end and I was worried it’d be some bittersweet end with them dying together but I do enjoy this end much more. It does turn it into more of a romance especially as looking back there’s so much more about the creature we’ve never seen and to think Eliza is one and has been one all along?! Well of course now I have more questions lol. But most of all, how is that possible? Then what are the chances they’d meet? Is that why she’s mute, perhaps her mode of communication is meant for underwater? Maybe more humans are like her and him and don’t realize? It kinda confuses me because I mean did he have the ability to turn her into something like him or was it really hidden in her? Overall it was ok for me, glad I finally read it. (hide spoiler)]

[❀ Crystal ✿ -]

Brigia wrote: "Uneducated women, ch 26

[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[You are not wrong, the book was super slow. I found many of the POVs to be unnecessary and just a waste of time and space, like Strickland’s wife. (hide spoiler)]

[❀ Crystal ✿ -]

Brigia wrote: "Creative Taxidermy, chapter 3
[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[Yes it was kinda brutal and graphic at times. I was really worried about what’d happen to the creature once in captivity and at the hands of crazy Strickland-none of it was pretty 😢 (hide spoiler)]

[Brigia]

❀ Crystal ✿ - wrote: "Uneducated Women
[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[ I felt the same. The whole first half was really slow for me. (hide spoiler)]

[Brigia]

❀ Crystal ✿ - wrote: "Creative Taxidermy
[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[ I was confused, too. I guess she didn’t have much of a plan, which seems odd, since getting him out was planned quite nicely. (hide spoiler)]

[Brigia]

❀ Crystal ✿ - wrote: "Finished
[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[ I didn’t see the final plot twist coming, though in hindsight it seems obvious. I was glad, too, that they got their happy end. Overall I felt that the author tried to put too many issues into one story and so it felt overly complicated and difficult to read at times. I did enjoy the action in the second half and it was lovely to see the friends working together. I’m glad you enjoyed it 😊 It's been on my TBR for a while - thanks for reading it with me! (hide spoiler)]

[Brigia]

❀ Crystal ✿ - wrote: "Brigia wrote: "Uneducated women, ch 26

[spoilers removed]"

[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[ Yes, though I liked her best! But she didn’t have much to do with the story. (hide spoiler)]