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hayley_mariep's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Bullying, Ableism, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic friendship, Emotional abuse, Murder, Death, Violence, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
hermitina's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Bullying and Ableism
Moderate: Forced institutionalization
zoiejanelle's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Ableism and Bullying
Minor: Forced institutionalization and Violence
tetedump's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Bullying, Ableism, Forced institutionalization, and Murder
bella_cavicchi's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
(Love and thanks to Ottie for the recommendation!)
Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Death, and Forced institutionalization
wends_nblw's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Forced institutionalization
Minor: Murder and Torture
someonelikeblue's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
Graphic: Death, Ableism, Bullying, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Murder, Gaslighting, Violence, and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Physical abuse and Toxic friendship
unimaginablymine's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
The premise has promise. Drawing parallels between people tried for witchcraft centuries ago and autistic people being persecuted in modern times is clever and I like it, especially in a middle grade book. But the tone was a lot more grim than I anticipated, and about halfway through became a slog to the finish, desperately hoping for some joy to creep into the story. What small joys there are is brief and fleeting, and the negatives are drawn out and wallowed in. The core messaging to be yourself doesn’t feel earned, when there’s very few moments of Addie being herself without severe consequence.
The emphasis on ableism in this book cannot be overstated. It’s chapter after chapter of discrimination with next to no relief. For those who have never experienced this firsthand, you may find it illuminating. For those who are affected by this in their everyday lives already, you may find it exhausting. Instead of painting a complete picture of both the positives and challenges of growing up autistic, it felt overly consumed with the negatives and gave me very few enjoyable beats to cling to.
My favorite moment was towards the very end, when
Graphic: Ableism and Bullying
Moderate: Forced institutionalization and Toxic friendship
bexi's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Forced institutionalization and Confinement
Minor: Torture, Violence, and Murder
meagangrace's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Moderate: Bullying and Ableism
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, and Torture