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adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Child abuse, Violence, Grief, Abandonment
Minor: Confinement, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Racism, Death of parent
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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:
No
Darker than the first one but still very heartwarming. And a nice ending for these characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Racism, Xenophobia
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Violence
adventurous
funny
hopeful
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
3.5 ⭐️
This just didn’t have the same magic as the first book
This just didn’t have the same magic as the first book
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
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
I really enjoyed this sequel. It was great to revisit the characters and just what I needed in terms of positivity and diversity. It's beautifully written, inclusive, and it3 demonstrates what it means to be different, in this case, a world seeking to appress the magical people. Parallels, you can't help but sadly acknowledge in our current times. I did wonder how a new character would fit in with the other children, but the introduction of David the Yeti was expertly woven in, and I began to love him as much as the other children. Their quirky selves made me laugh and smile throughout. I love positive ending and this one had it in spades.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Transphobia, Xenophobia, Death of parent
Moderate: Body shaming
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Homophobia, Transphobia
adventurous
challenging
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:
Complicated
This was hard going at the beginning, just from the subject matter. I’ve heard mixed things about this series but I adored the first book. This didn’t have the same overall feel and I didn’t enjoy it as much. That said I loved the interactions with the children, I loved how they parent. At times this felt very loaded within the current political climate which I think was meant to be the point, esp with that declaration at the end from TJ. I just hope she doesn’t catch wind of it! Anyway mixed feelings about this one.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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: Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment
funny
hopeful
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:
Yes
(There will be spoilers in this review!)
This book is simultaneously more of the lighthearted shenanigans I've come to love in Klune's work and something infuriating and gut-wrenching. The courtroom scene that introduced Rowder made me want to set something on fire. As did everything out of the mouth of the secondary antagonist Marblemaw. The exchange between Arthur and Phee at the end of Chapter 11 nearly made me cry. The latter half of Chapter 12, but especially the line "And for the first time, Arthur Franklin Parnassus wept for himself" did make me cry.
And talking about moments that made me cry, I would be remiss to not mention the opening dedications. I started reading this book in early December of 2024 (if you know, you know). It was something I desperately needed to hear, and a great opener to a heartwarming story about the lengths people go to to protect their loved ones against hatred and abuse.
And talking about moments that made me cry, I would be remiss to not mention the opening dedications. I started reading this book in early December of 2024 (if you know, you know). It was something I desperately needed to hear, and a great opener to a heartwarming story about the lengths people go to to protect their loved ones against hatred and abuse.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Xenophobia
Moderate: Emotional abuse
Minor: Body shaming, Homophobia, Transphobia