Reviews with content warning for Child death - Remarkably Bright Creatures

Reviews tagging 'Child death'

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

368 reviews

carolynbruce's review against another edition

funny hopeful medium-paced

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

2.5

Marcellus is the best, most likable character by far, and the one I developed the most care towards, but we hardly get any time with him. Tova and Cam’s connection felt a little contrived, especially since everything gets wrapped up with a neat little bow, but maybe that’s because I really disliked Cameron. I think he was supposed to be endearing—the thirty year old screw-up, a blue collar secret genius with a heart of gold—but I found him annoying and immature. I can’t tell if the book wanted to tell a mystery, but if it did, the mystery falls somewhat flat.

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alrightcalv's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

I really loved this book but didn't enjoy strong message of 'if you don't have kids or grandkids, who will look after you when you're older' and for this, I've marked it down from a 4.

Weird and wonderful concept. Very enjoyable.

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taural41's review against another edition

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emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

I liked the concept behind this book - the Marcellus parts were the most interesting, and I found myself skimming through some of the story lines around Tova’s move and Cameron’s people in order to get to the Tova-Marcellus interactions. My favorite things about Marcellus was just the premise (an incredibly intelligent, aquarium-roving octopus) and his eventual deep love for Tova, but I didn’t love his personality or the tone with which he spoke. I know it added humor to the book and I’m sure absolutely delighted a lot of readers, but it struck me as a little dark and condescending and I don’t love that in a main character. I appreciated the sweet, easy ending as I wasn’t in the mood for it to end on a sad note. Overall, the book was fine, but I didn’t love it. I get why others do, but I don’t think the characters were deep and nuanced enough for me to really love it.

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biscuitgale's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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? Yes

3.75

Wow, what an unexpected journey in navigating grief and finding unexpected care from unexpected places! The most of the characters are well developed and have very realistic pain and motivations. I did guess the twist in the story somewhat earlier on, but the story also reveals it to us pretty quickly. Despite the there being tension, this book wasn’t stressful to read. I do have issues with

how adamant the book is on blood relationships over found family

, but I did enjoy the story overall.

By far my favorite character is Marcellus the Octopus. My least favorite is Cameron; although we do see growth he points blame in other places instead of reflecting on his actions.

The way he behaves can’t entirely be chalked up to not having parental figures, at some point he needs to take accountability, but we don't see that happen in the book. Quite frustrating!

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jacquinotjackie's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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amaya_s's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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leighkelly's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful mysterious sad 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

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sdvora's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful medium-paced

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

4.5

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sarabookshelf's review against another edition

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emotional

4.0

Warm and sweet, even though the plot twist was a bit predictable. But nonetheless, a lovely story that deals with quite difficult topics with heart and compassion. Oh and I absolutely wish we got more of the octopus' POV and backstory, since it was the best character in the story for me.

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kaori_yugen's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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

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