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lottie1803'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 of parent, Cursing, and Death
mrouanet_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death and Violence
ada_elisabeth'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
4.5
I picked this book up in New York while I was there for a school Broadway trip, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Translated from Korean by Sandy Joosun Lee, Almond tells the story of a boy, Yunjae, who can't feel emotions. Originally, I didn't love the writing style and the way the story was told. (I do realize that a lot of my issues were likely caused by the translation, not the original writing.) But by the end of the novel, I had really begun to appreciate the simplistic yet emotional writing choices and syntax. The incredibly simple language allowed for so much emotional depth, even though Yunjae couldn't feel the emotions himself. This book is incredibly quotable and beautiful, especially on a very micro level.
My one real issue upon concluding this book is the incredibly sad lack of Gon x Yunjae. It was going so well... I could feel the tension between them, and the Dora had to show up? Nobody cares about Dora. She's annoying. She's boring. She's keeping Gon x Yunjae from being a thing, and that's basically a crime. I also felt like although Gon and Yunjae were kind of oblivious, it seemed like even they knew they would get together at some point. Like, Gon, Yunjae... come on. This thing you have going on is clearly not purely platonic anymore. Alas.
In any case, I'm giving this a 4.5/5, rounded up, because I hated Dora but I loved everything else. (It would've been a million times better if Gon and Yunjae had become a couple, but oh well.)
Graphic: Violence and Death
Moderate: Animal cruelty
alexisgarcia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Chronic illness, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic friendship, Death of parent, Violence, Grief, Medical content, Abandonment, Ableism, Blood, Murder, and Death
vira92'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
4.0
Graphic: Medical content, Grief, Animal cruelty, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Torture
dahud's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Bullying, Violence, and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Physical abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Blood
aespaldon24'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: Cursing, Medical content, Murder, Bullying, Death, Grief, and Violence
Moderate: Animal cruelty
333amreen'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: Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Grief, Medical content, Animal cruelty, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Violence, Ableism, Blood, Bullying, Hate crime, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Animal death, Mental illness, Murder, and Vomit
collie_kb'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: Death and Violence
rosenrot'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? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Blood, and Death