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ijustreallyliketrees's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-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
4.25
The idea and the world was cool but it didn't quite live up to my expectations. I did enjoy it but I thought I would love it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Death
Moderate: Confinement and Bullying
Minor: Emotional abuse and Child abuse
boneloose's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-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
5.0
Absolute new favorite book of all time. Everything about it is exquisite. I sobbed and laughed and just enjoyed the delightful romp that it was (but be clear that while overall light-hearted in the sense that there's not intense violence and no gore, there's still intense action and characters you go to care deeply about being in perilous situations a whole lot of thinking about how you navigate the world and relationships and ! just perfect.) On top of the main incredible plot of fictional characters being able to be read into the real world and antics ensuing, there's an incredible narrative around mending family bonds and learning to not only forgive others but forgive yourself for what you've done. The main characters' flaws are center stage in this book and so their development is very clear, but it's not that their flaws just disappear, but rather through learning to forgive themselves and others and through being able to accept changes, they begin to navigate relationships more easily and their flaws no longer hold them back from accepting love (platonic, familial moreso than romantic.)
Side note that this is a really great YA/adult crossover novel. The main characters are in their late 20s/early 30s, but it's not at all gritty and instead reads as sophisticated YA.
The author has a PhD in English Lit and the extensive amount of studying literature and what makes stories great, as well as just an adoration for literature shines through so well. One character mentions at one point how sometimes you read a story and it fills a part of you you didn't know was missing. This book did that for me.
Also for folks like me who really care deeply about writing style, you may be put off by the first couple of chapters. It gets more complex over time and (spoilered for folks who want to know nothing going into a book, but it's not a content spoiler)the complexity and lyricality of the writing grows as the main character, someone who is very much a Fact Logic Person who Does Not Like Books grows as a character and to embrace more whimsical aspects of himself
Also also, in terms of endings I'll spoiler again for folks who want to know absolutely nothing (but again not sharing content) but if you are the type of person who wants to know the tone of the ending of a book before getting into it:there's a part where it seems like it's going to end terribly and that's where I was sobbing, but it ultimately ends happily
Final note: anyone who loves English and words and literary analysis should absolutely read this book. The author's PhD in English and her adoration for literature again truly shows in the characters and how they view words and books and literary analysis, as well as other aspects of the story I will leave a surprise!
Side note that this is a really great YA/adult crossover novel. The main characters are in their late 20s/early 30s, but it's not at all gritty and instead reads as sophisticated YA.
The author has a PhD in English Lit and the extensive amount of studying literature and what makes stories great, as well as just an adoration for literature shines through so well. One character mentions at one point how sometimes you read a story and it fills a part of you you didn't know was missing. This book did that for me.
Also for folks like me who really care deeply about writing style, you may be put off by the first couple of chapters. It gets more complex over time and (spoilered for folks who want to know nothing going into a book, but it's not a content spoiler)
Also also, in terms of endings I'll spoiler again for folks who want to know absolutely nothing (but again not sharing content) but if you are the type of person who wants to know the tone of the ending of a book before getting into it:
Final note: anyone who loves English and words and literary analysis should absolutely read this book. The author's PhD in English and her adoration for literature again truly shows in the characters and how they view words and books and literary analysis, as well as other aspects of the story I will leave a surprise!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Vomit
Minor: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Forced institutionalization
Child abuse/emotional abuse could go in Moderate. There's one specific scene where a character recounts an experience with a moderate amount of detail, but it's not at all discussed throughout the rest of the book so I'm not sure where to place it. Put vomit as Moderate because there's only one or two instances, but each time is described quite graphically. Force institutionalized is extremely abstract but still mentioned a few times so I wanted to mark it. More specifics:
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