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brianna_soto'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: Child abuse
Minor: Confinement and Death of parent
bluedilly'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? It's complicated
3.0
Death is wonderful to music. It makes the singers sound like ghosts.
When I started reading this, I didn't expect it would take me seven months to finish! You might wonder why I stuck with it for so long, but it was nice to have a book like this around, something light and simple, easy to pick up and easy to put down, especially for those tedious waits at bus stops when you still need to be half aware of your surroundings. There were a few things about Klune's writing style and worldbuilding which didn't hit the spot for me, but I dearly loved all of the children, and Linus and Arthur were quite sweet together.
Minor: Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Fatphobia, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
ariajb's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Xenophobia, and Abandonment
Moderate: Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, and Death of parent
mbrogs2024'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
4.0
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Violence, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, and Murder
akswhy'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
4.0
Graphic: Racism and Xenophobia
Moderate: Child abuse and Death of parent
iane_reads'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
5.0
Graphic: Body shaming, Child abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Grief, and Abandonment
Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, Fatphobia, Racial slurs, and Gaslighting
Minor: Chronic illness, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Violence, Medical content, Car accident, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
valerian_honeybee'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: Bullying, Hate crime, and Abandonment
Moderate: Child abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Death and Death of parent
dillonsees'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
Minor: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Classism
linde13'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
I bought this one immediately after I read it.
Graphic: Xenophobia
Moderate: Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, and Fatphobia
Minor: Body horror, Genocide, Gore, Physical abuse, Blood, Cannibalism, and Death of parent
I added the body shaming/fatphobia tags because Linus is sensitive about his own weight for most of the book. Nobody else comments on it, except for the kids in a matter-of-fact and non-insulting way. Everything else is merely alluded to, either by Lucy (the Antichrist character) in comments that he makes for shock value that are all played for laughs (Blood/Body horror/Gore/Cannibalism) or as part of characters' backstories (Child abuse/Confinement/Death of parent/Genocide/Physical abuse).njh_books'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
4.0
Had a much better read the second try and overall found the book sweet and wholesome and funny. Reminded me of my counseloring days--kids say the darndest things. Lols.
Arthur is a smooth talker and sweet and was nice to see him continuing his journey to be himself. Also showed that childhood trauma can still be a battle into adulthood.
Glad Linus eventually fought for himself and found his voice.
Also hope to see a bit more of Zoe and Helen in the next book.
____________________
Some favorite quotes:
“'It’s the little things. Little treasures we find without knowing their origin. And they come when we least expect them. It’s beautiful, when you think about it. He loves it dearly. That was very kind of you.'” (94)
“'When something is broken, you can put it back together. It may not fit quite the same, or work like it did once before, but that doesn't mean it's no longer useful.'” (247)
“'The little girl. She wasn’t scared of me. She was nice. She didn’t care what I looked like. That means she can make up her own mind. Maybe that woman will tell her I’m bad. And maybe she’ll believe it. Or maybe she won’t believe it at all. Arthur told me that in order to change the minds of many, you have to first start with the minds of few. She’s just one person. But so is the lady.' Talia grinned.” (270)
“'It’s not fair,' Linus said, staring off into nothing. 'The way some people can be. But as long as you remember to be just and kind like I know you are, what those people think won’t matter in the long run. Hate is loud, but I think you’ll learn it’s because it’s only a few people shouting, desperate to be heard. You might not ever be able to change their minds, but so long as you remember you’re not alone, you will overcome.'” (278)
“Helen scoffed. 'A home isn’t always the house we live in. It’s also the people we choose to surround ourselves with. You may not live on the island, but you can’t tell me it’s not your home. Your bubble, Mr. Baker. It’s been popped. Why would you allow it to grow around you again?'” (283)
“'You’re too precious to put into words. I think … it’s like one of Theodore’s buttons. If you asked him why he cared about them so, he would tell you it’s because they exist at all.'” (308)
“'Funny how that works out, isn’t it? That we can find the most unexpected things when we aren’t even looking for them.'” (376)
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Grief, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Murder and Injury/Injury detail