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4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
funny
mysterious
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
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-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
Reading this book is what started my love of reading. I own every book in the series now and it is by far a special interest of mine. I started reading this when I was 12 - the same age as Stephanie - and have continued reading even now at the age of 23.
But enough sentimentality - this book is brilliant. It is definitely geared to a younger audience in terms of the pacing and overall plot, but the humour is excellent and the characters are witty and deep. It is darker than you would expect, especially later in the series (dear god), but it deals with some heavy topics in a way that makes them digestible. Though not a major theme of the first book, it handles with grief and the loss of a close loved one - and all the complicated feelings that come from losing someone so close so young. It is just such a nice, fun book with a compelling plot, but ay not be everyone's taste due to the age group it is aimed at.
Note on content warnings: While the list is quite long and concerning at first glance, they are all dulled down to a level that wouldn't be terrifying or traumatising to the age group it is aimed at. Though looking back, I do wonder how Derek Landy got away with the age rating for these books.
But enough sentimentality - this book is brilliant. It is definitely geared to a younger audience in terms of the pacing and overall plot, but the humour is excellent and the characters are witty and deep. It is darker than you would expect, especially later in the series (dear god), but it deals with some heavy topics in a way that makes them digestible. Though not a major theme of the first book, it handles with grief and the loss of a close loved one - and all the complicated feelings that come from losing someone so close so young. It is just such a nice, fun book with a compelling plot, but ay not be everyone's taste due to the age group it is aimed at.
Note on content warnings: While the list is quite long and concerning at first glance, they are all dulled down to a level that wouldn't be terrifying or traumatising to the age group it is aimed at. Though looking back, I do wonder how Derek Landy got away with the age rating for these books.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia
Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Gun violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Injury/Injury detail
Generally speaking, all o these books are filled with violence and it does ramp up the further through the series you get. For the first book, the worst scenes are probably towards the end where there is a fight scene between one of the main characters where she almost dies quite brutally and a child is functionally put through excruciating pain which almost kills her . Additionally, there is a decent amount of body shaming when describing Stephanie's family members such as Beryl and her cousins - this lets up quite quickly once you get past the first book, since they are basically caricatures at this point, and later the author fleshes them out as proper characters.
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Really good book! Good for YA fans as well not just for children as some people had told me.
The characters are very witty and the overall story is very good and plays into the next book very nicely.
The characters are very witty and the overall story is very good and plays into the next book very nicely.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix