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planetshelf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Minor: Body shaming, Cursing, Death, Forced institutionalization, Physical abuse, Violence, and Child abuse
amberrenfrey's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Physical abuse, Forced institutionalization, Abandonment, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Genocide
Minor: Body horror, Homophobia, Violence, Animal cruelty, Blood, Confinement, Cursing, Alcohol, Cannibalism, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
isaaah's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Abandonment, Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Gore, Grief, Hate crime, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death of parent, and Self harm
mel_s_bookshelf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Racism, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Fatphobia, Child abuse, and Violence
gracefully_jk's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Xenophobia and Fatphobia
Minor: Body shaming, Body horror, Confinement, Death of parent, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, and Child abuse
Any violence/horror type stuff is entirely just threats/jokes made by a child—nothing actually happens.maladaptivedaydreams's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Moderate: Child abuse and Violence
mirandaburel's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Moderate: Xenophobia
Minor: Child abuse and Violence
espiargrant's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
From what I've seen, this book is marketed mainly as an adult fantasy, though I feel that it reads as middle-grade. And for a MG book, I felt that there was a lot more 'tell' than 'show', particularly when it came to relationship building and character development. There were many instances of one character or document explaining the personality/traits of another, rather than allowing us readers to see those things for ourselves. I also felt that the MC Linus didn't have much of an arc. He loosened up a bit, but he was visibly a kind, caring person at the beginning, and ended the same way. I wasn't thrilled with the romance either. I was okay with it not being the main focus, but what we did get felt blunt and shallow to me. Linus repeatedly told us that he liked Arthur, yet never really showed us why/how.
I also wished that the children had appeared more dangerous in the beginning. We were told they were, but the moment we meet them, it's clear they're not. I felt that this left the story with nowhere to go.
Toward the end, most of the problems I had with this story improved slightly, but it just wasn't enough for me to say I absolutely loved it. Still a cute story that I'm glad I read, and I plan on giving T.J. Klune another try in the future.
Graphic: Xenophobia
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Child abuse, Violence, and Body shaming
Minor: Abandonment
pjreeve's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Minor: Child abuse, Death of parent, and Violence
haindfielda's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Xenophobia, Physical abuse, and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Body shaming, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, and Homophobia