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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
challenging
dark
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-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:
Complicated
I think Shaun David Hutchinson depicts teenage trauma very well, and the emotional beats in this book are constantly hitting you hard in a way that really works with the subject matter.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Violence, Gaslighting
This is a heavy book. All listed content warnings are explicit, except the book depicts no actual sexual assault, but the major traumatic event that kicks off the book is a clear and direct allegory for sexual assault and the main character experiences trauma that follows the language surrounding sexual assault.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Ok, wow. I might need a mental moment after this book. It’s a lot.
Virgil moves to Florida with his dad after his parents separate, leaving everyone and everything he loves behind. At the very beginning of the book he is violently attacked. No one believes his account of what happened, and he has trouble remembering the details himself.
If that sounds awful and heartbreaking, it is, but not nearly as bad as what Virgil deals with in the aftermath. His family isn’t there for him. His grandparents honestly suck so much, I don’t know how this kid keeps going. He’s bullied and ridiculed by basically everyone at his school. There’s just so much crap that he has to deal with no support at home. And yet he’s still pleasant and polite and tries to be a good guy.
I really kept hoping all the way through the book that one character in particular could be redeemed. Nope. That sure didn’t happen.
I found this very similar to the author’s previous book, We Are The Ants, which I just read a few weeks back. So while I really enjoyed it, there were also elements that felt recycled to me (like the sleepwalking).
This is not your typical YA creature book. But it is a raw take on growing up, being the outcast, and trying to figure your life out when you are surrounded by monsters, and questioning if you might be one, too.
Virgil moves to Florida with his dad after his parents separate, leaving everyone and everything he loves behind. At the very beginning of the book he is violently attacked. No one believes his account of what happened, and he has trouble remembering the details himself.
If that sounds awful and heartbreaking, it is, but not nearly as bad as what Virgil deals with in the aftermath. His family isn’t there for him. His grandparents honestly suck so much, I don’t know how this kid keeps going. He’s bullied and ridiculed by basically everyone at his school. There’s just so much crap that he has to deal with no support at home. And yet he’s still pleasant and polite and tries to be a good guy.
I really kept hoping all the way through the book that one character in particular could be redeemed. Nope. That sure didn’t happen.
I found this very similar to the author’s previous book, We Are The Ants, which I just read a few weeks back. So while I really enjoyed it, there were also elements that felt recycled to me (like the sleepwalking).
This is not your typical YA creature book. But it is a raw take on growing up, being the outcast, and trying to figure your life out when you are surrounded by monsters, and questioning if you might be one, too.
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
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:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Mental illness, Toxic friendship
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Vomit, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Self harm, Sexual assault
dark
emotional
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Blood, Gaslighting
Moderate: Eating disorder, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Vomit
Minor: Schizophrenia/Psychosis
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes