Reviews tagging 'Torture'

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

21 reviews

pastelmeganes's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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? It's complicated

4.75

This book was absolutely delightful. The characters had so much life and made my heart swell with all their different, quirky personalities. The children of the house for the most part had some sort of quality to them that made them stick out. My favorite character by far was definitely Talia. All the children in the house had growth in their own way whether it be in regards to their individualistic dreams/aspirations, cultural connection or self actualization. This book was so light hearted and i felt happy after reading it. There were moments where i actually laughed out loud which was a nice surprise since many books dont get that reaction from me.

overall, the story had an important message about not being a product of your birthright but of how you are nurtured and live the life you are given. That anybody has the capacity to do good as easy as they are to do evil. If i had to pick ONE critique, i felt that Phi’s story fell a little short but her connecting with Zoe about their culture was sweet and very healing for her. I would say she was the least memorable child for sure.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Racism

Moderate: Forced institutionalization and Abandonment

Minor: Torture

baearles's review

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Xenophobia

Minor: Death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Physical abuse, Torture, and Hate crime

analea_lucille's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective 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? Yes

5.0

The audiobook was fantastic!! I especially loved the different voices for the children! 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse

Minor: Religious bigotry, Death, Torture, Violence, and Racism

lonely_tardigrade's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing medium-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

4.75

this book genuinely felt like a warm hug. it was the first book i’ve finished in probably a year or more. the vibes it gave off (not content) felt like the vibes of watching the owl house. a wholesome story with a bit of danger. and the characters are all so unique and lovable in their own ways.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia

Moderate: Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Torture, Child abuse, Violence, and Confinement

Minor: Animal death, Body shaming, Abandonment, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Hate crime, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Murder

chelseylb1988's review against another edition

emotional funny inspiring medium-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Xenophobia, and Confinement

Minor: Cannibalism, Torture, and Suicidal thoughts

rai's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Body shaming and Mental illness

Minor: Abandonment, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Violence, Torture, and Religious bigotry

jude7's review against another edition

adventurous emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

This was a fantastic book! The first maybe 10% or so before he went to the island was really slow, but I kept going because I knew I would enjoy the rest. I switched to the audiobook partway through as it was available at my library, and I really enjoyed it. Although the narrator bits sounded a bit robotic/stilted, the reading of all the characters different voices was really good!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Hate crime, Physical abuse, and Torture

Moderate: Mental illness

Minor: Cannibalism

cameeroo's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Body shaming, Confinement, Fatphobia, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Physical abuse

Minor: Death of parent, Death, Violence, Torture, Blood, and Body horror

sofiya's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Man, I don’t even know if I can truly put into words how much I loved this book. The vibe reminded me so much of 1984/A Series of Unfortunate Events but with the magic of a book like Ella Enchanted. The writing is beautiful (simple and cheeky while still being descriptive) and the storyline and characters are so lovely. Each child is wonderfully developed (perhaps not one but I didn’t mind very much) and lovable, as are the adults. I cried tears of joy at least 3 times and am excited to read it again in the future. Overall, childhood wonder mixed with serious topics and good writing. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse and Torture

axelstudies's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad medium-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Xenophobia

Minor: Violence, Torture, Religious bigotry, Hate crime, Cursing, and Child abuse