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sweetrosegirl76's review against another edition
I'm upset bc I love T.J. Klune, I wanted to read his entire body of work but I can't. I really tried to give Ox the benefit of the doubt, I thought maybe he'd distance himself until it was more appropriate and even then I was grossed out, but I was like maybe they'll be a time jump and this will feel less icky. I hate to DNF a book but I just can't in good conscious do it.
Ox is a pedophile, plain and simple. 23 and 17 IS NOT OKAY. I hate that they met at 16 and 10. There were so many lines that were just so inappropriate and problematic. It took me the whole day to read 5% more from when Ox realized he was into Joe and I just couldn't do it anymore which is such a shame bc gross but also bc I was liking the book before, though if I'm being on this, I don't know why because what even is the plot there's so much exposition. The teasing and awkward and cringe is very typical of T.J. Klune and it could have been funny and it would've been funny had Joe not been a literal child and minor, instead it was extremely creepy and I hate how everyone is okay with it and not calling it out for this being a literal crime.
They had always been abnormally close. But I just thought that it was an intense brother relationship because of the fact that he didn't have a father, he was a single child also, so I thought he was just fierce and protective of his little brother; A little brother who had given him more family than he knew what to do with. I remember getting weird vibes before, but I thought maybe nothing of it, I thought there's no way that this will happen! I guess had I read the summary on goodreads I would have realized that it was always about Joe... and then 25% through happened and I just couldn't read it anymore.
Graphic: Pedophilia
Minor: Child abuse, Torture, and Kidnapping
britt93414'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
5.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Murder, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Blood, Abandonment, Child abuse, Death, and Physical abuse
Minor: Cursing, Pedophilia, Kidnapping, Violence, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Sexual content, and Torture
sab_rose's review
- 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
Graphic: Death of parent, Murder, Torture, Sexual content, War, Violence, and Death
Minor: Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, and Death of parent
farmpaws's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I also wish Joe and Ox had less of an age gap, given how early in their lives the book starts and how much you are shown of their early lives, vs when they are adults. I feel like this story would’ve been just as good starting when they were both teens with a few references or flashbacks to childhood if necessary. It would’ve worked well given the writing style also.
But on the plus side I loved the way Klune writes the pack and shows you how deeply their love lies. You can really feel it seeping out of the pages. He writes relationships really well and every character feels so alive, and real. I also really liked the way they talked. In some books this kind of dialogue can be cringe, but I didn’t feel it here. Everyone has real, solid weight in the story, they can reach out and touch everything, they a part of it all. The magic too, felt so real, even though it’s not explained so much.
I probably won’t continue the series because I don’t think its going to undo any of the issues I had with it, but I also think this book works well as a standalone
Graphic: Gore, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Pedophilia and Rape
mrshays's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Physical abuse, Forced institutionalization, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Gore, Murder, Sexual content, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Abandonment, Gore, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Confinement, Rape, Grief, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, and Panic attacks/disorders
lisakey's review
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Kidnapping, Death of parent, Grief, Death, and Murder
Minor: Torture, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, and Pedophilia
simonreading's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Blood and Murder
Minor: Pedophilia and Sexual harassment
roseangel2'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: Sexual content, Violence, Kidnapping, and Death of parent
Moderate: Rape, Murder, Abandonment, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, and Alcoholism
Minor: Domestic abuse
blaiseteal'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
4.75
did not know what to expect when i picked up this book. i was somewhat familiar with tj klunes work and was still blown out of the fucking water with this. the found family makes my heart ACHE in the best way. Ox as a character was phenomenal and it was amazing watching him change and grow due to the people around him. one thing i adored about this book is the agency that every single character has, there isn’t a single “damsel in distress” moment because even when a less powerful character is faced with a threat, they aren’t entirely useless. cannot wait to read the rest of this series.
Moderate: Kidnapping
Minor: Pedophilia and Rape
About the minor pedophillia and rape/sexual assault warning, it’s only a brief mention when