Reviews tagging 'Violence'

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

81 reviews

vkodhai's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing fast-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Xenophobia, and Confinement

Moderate: Bullying and Homophobia

Minor: Body shaming, Violence, Toxic relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, and Emotional abuse

lucystolethesky's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted sad medium-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, Ableism, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Child abuse, Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Violence

Minor: Homophobia

readerette's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Aside from an identity mystery that is pretty easy to figure out if you've read or watched other mysteries, this story is stellar. Touching and funny, and while it's about magical beings in a world that doesn't understand them, the correlation to other kinds of diversity is obvious. The characters are a delight--deeply drawn, imaginatively created, and relatable. It's been a while since I read something so realistic and still so hopeful.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse and Racism

Minor: Blood, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Violence

staraice's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Lost half a star for a couple of passages which were a bit heavy handed. All in all this was a tender book, and quite an enjoyable read.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Child abuse, Violence, and Xenophobia

axelstudies's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Xenophobia

Minor: Violence, Torture, Religious bigotry, Hate crime, Cursing, and Child abuse

podanotherjessi's review against another edition

hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.5

This book was cute and fun and sweet. It's not a book to analyze and have deep discussions about. It's just a light, fluffy read. That's what I wanted from this book, and it's what I got. I think the message was sweet but so oversimplified and watered down that it felt like it was barely saying anything at all, and that was really my main complaint. The characters are all one-dimentional - although also very sweet - and all made just to deliver this message, and the message felt weak. Still, very cute.
I'll also note that the audiobook made me feel a little like I was being talked down to. I don't know if it was the prose or the narration itself, which is why I specify the audiobook. It was very simple prose, and the tone just felt condescending. It was the kind of audiobook that I picked up as a kid and made me swear off audiobooks for the next 10 years. It does get better later in the book - or maybe I just got used to it - but something to be aware of.

Characters: 6
Plot: 7
Setting: 9
General appeal: 7
Writing style: 6
Originality: 9
Ending: 8

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Violence, Fatphobia, and Body shaming

Moderate: Child abuse and Confinement

Minor: Cannibalism

stardustandrockets's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book deserves ALL THE STARS. All of them. This was the sweetest book I've read in a long time and the best slow-burn I think I've EVER read.

A more full review to come.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Body shaming and Violence

Minor: Child abuse, Confinement, Grief, Physical abuse, Violence, and Hate crime

rotatinglibrary's review against another edition

emotional hopeful lighthearted relaxing slow-paced

• 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fatphobia, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, and Child abuse

Moderate: Religious bigotry and Violence

Minor: Suicide

Disturbing images, monsters, prejudice, "See something say something" There is something about the way the magical youth are homed that reminds me of (indigenous) residential schools. I found the fatphobia extremely upsetting and ruined the overall mood of this book for me.

ha1yan's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

At first I wasn't so sure about this book, but I ended up adoring it. It reminds me of Good Omens, Ms. Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, and Howl's Moving Castle, all stories that I love. Linus' character development really touched my heart as he learned about self-acceptance and pursuing happiness. There was a lot of repetition of certain phrases, which gave it a poetic feel. It was a bit sappy, but I cried. Multiple times.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, and Fatphobia

Minor: Death and Violence

jehansflowers's review

funny lighthearted slow-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

this book was really cute. it had a major whimsical vibe, and i absolutely ADORED all of the kids. i was a bit disappointed by linus & arthurs' characters though. i just kinda found linus annoying and arthur bland.  

edit: going back and changing my rating from 4 stars to 3.5 bc this book just really didn’t leave an impression

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia

Moderate: Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Fatphobia, Mental illness, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Child death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Violence