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thewordsdevourer'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? Yes
3.25
nevertheless, almond was def a special book w/ an even more special narrator whose unique emotionally detached voice i loved. yunjae's prolly one of my most fav characters ever; he's that memorable. his unique outlook actually served as a major strength for the book, pointing all the idiosyncracies and ridiculous things 'normal' ppl and society at large do/tolerate. his fam's also a dynamic, heartwarming one, and his unconventional ~home education~ was def interesting.
im also surprised at how much i like gon--which i think is the author's point--and i feel for everything he's been thru; it's kinda ridiculous that no adults thought he might need some psych help considering his history. his and yunjae's relationship is an interesting one too and i loved their bookstore scenes. speaking of characters, however, while dora was a character necessary for yunjae's growth, i feel she couldve been introduced better; as it was it seemed a lil too sudden and random, like she's merely a plot device.
this book was also full of a myriad of emotions, whether it be "bruh" and "that escalated quickly" moments esp in the beginning; hilarious convos and scenarios that enduce more than a few chuckles; heartwarming and rly sad moments as well, for yunjae and gon both. almond was also surprisingly wise and i highly appreciate its themes and msg of reaching out to others, understanding, love, empathy, the passage of time, change, concept of 'ordinary', etc, and its portrayal of the duality of heart vs brain and what they tell us.
however, the last part felt weirdly awkward and a lil too cheesy for me, and the ending couldve been longer, w/ more scenes devoted to yunjae and gon and the resolution of their conflict. rn the pgs only contain things post-action. still, this was one of the better korean books ive read, and a fav for sure.
Graphic: Death of parent, Murder, Violence, and Bullying
Moderate: Sexism, Medical content, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Grief
Minor: Cursing
emotionalsupportsandwich'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: Death, Violence, Bullying, and Cursing
Moderate: Ableism and Animal cruelty
Minor: Medical content
soowtie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Violence, Ableism, Bullying, Physical abuse, Murder, Medical content, Death, Blood, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Gore, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
ashleycmms's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Blood, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Abandonment, Death of parent, Grief, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
abyissmal's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Ableism, Abandonment, Bullying, Death of parent, and Medical content
Minor: Violence
aseel_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
my biggest issue was the plot, it seems to end really out of character and random - I do wonder if that's because oh who is narrating, it made it come off odd.
there was also a lot of violence that I did not expect...
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Abandonment, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Murder, and Physical abuse
clocke3's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Death, Toxic friendship, and Murder
Moderate: Bullying, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Medical trauma, Medical content, and Blood
denwluv'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: Blood, Bullying, Death, Death of parent, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, and Murder
hnelsonlu's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Death of parent, Murder, and Medical content
Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death
vlntnmz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Mental illness, Physical abuse, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death