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dark
hopeful
informative
inspiring
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:
Complicated
Easy to read and well paced and well written.
I teared up twice but not at the moments you think.
Its a great character study and bit of psychology in a non-academic way.
I didnt have any complaints
I teared up twice but not at the moments you think.
Its a great character study and bit of psychology in a non-academic way.
I didnt have any complaints
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Murder
Minor: Bullying
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
What are you going to do here? Do you think enduring all this will make you strong? This isn’t strong. It’s just pretending to be.
i absolutely enjoyed this book. it started out rocky for me, and i was even contemplating DNF-ing this book due to some plot continuity issues early on. if i could give a word of advice to someone interested in this book (namely people like me who read reviews to see if it’s up their alley and worth the read), hang on. it WILL get better.
i LOVED the characters, even though some were more fleshed out than others. the story, as well as the world around it, is so interesting and beckons you to lean in and feel what others can’t. it explores emotions and the boundaries of it, imposed by ourselves and what we are simply exposed to.
i recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a bittersweet coming-of-age story or anyone who just wants a fresh perspective. it felt a bit preachy in the beginning, maybe even pretentious. however, understanding the character put everything into perspective and helped me to best grasp what the author was trying to say in the first place. you realize, towards the end, the author and MC may be more similar than different.
this is a book that earned all of its 4.75 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Murder
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Abandonment
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Very easy to read!
While violent at times it gets to the heart of friendship and love in a unique way.
While violent at times it gets to the heart of friendship and love in a unique way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Death of parent, Murder
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Yet another banger. I wish I had known earlier that there are so many great Korean authors, and I hope others won't make the same mistake as me and wait so long to explore Korean literature. I can easily see this becoming a modern classic, and it will be completely justified. Almond is a flawless exploration of disability in society, and a character study of a boy unable to feel emotions. This book had me gasping, tearing up and giggling.. highly recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Bullying, Death, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Toxic friendship
Minor: Gun violence
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Mental illness, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Abandonment
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Only 0.25 docked because some loose ends weren't tied. I don't mind that, but I think it may have further enhanced the story to at least reach a reunion between the two friends, even if it was just wordless, just a smile seeing each other again. I think Gon seeing Yunjae smile would've itself been incredibly significant. It was significant for Yunjae to cry and laugh in front of his mom. But we knew Gon for longer and Gon had a bigger (narrated) impact on Yunjae, so he deserved to see Yunjae's change just as much as his mother did (in the context of the story).
I appreciated that the ending was happier than reality. Sometimes we need that. A book that is heavily dosed with reality but that still gives us a proper happy ending instead of just a small glimmer of hope at the end.
I'm hopeful Gon changes. He's been shown too soft to really turn out poorly. And Dora isn't going anywhere. She'll stay in touch because she wants to stay in touch.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Death, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder
Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual violence
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
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:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Terminal illness, Medical content, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
While I enjoyed the overall premise of the book, the plot was a bit much for me. I would have loved to explore the thoughts and human connections of the protagonist more, to be able to really get inside his head. Unfortunately, the overwhelming and sometimes painfully absurd plot did not allow me to relate as much with the characters as I would have liked.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Toxic friendship
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder