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Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Physical abuse, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Incest, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Stalking, Outing, Dysphoria, War, Deportation
Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Grief, Death of parent
Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Transphobia, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Xenophobia
Moderate: Child abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Transphobia
It's been a very difficult few years, as so many politicians, authors, etc have been extremely vocal about their disdain for specific members of the LGBT+ community. And I really felt like Klune was fed up and ready to use his skills as a writer to express this. That's what this book is. The politics are heavy, the analogy to real life is no longer charmingly blurred, and Klune does not mince words. I can understand why some people might find this repetitive and too in your face, but as someone who has watched friends suffer and fear for their own safety, some even having to leave their homes due to discriminatory laws- I didn't think it was over the top at all.
I laughed, I cried, and in the end, I'm left with the hope that change can happen if we fight for it. The children were just as delightful as the first book and their growth was realistic and sweet. There wasn't much romance in this one, but the little bits we did get were sappy and adorable.
It's a difficult read, which I didn't expect prior to starting. But I hope people will still give it a shot, because it's good. We need books like this. And I'm so happy it was Klune who took on the challenge.
Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Grief, Death of parent
Minor: Body shaming, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Homophobia, Sexism, Abandonment, Colonisation
This book caused me a lot of stress. All kinds of hate (xenophobia, transphobia, homophobia, and more) play a large role. It mirrored the current world and political climate too well to remain a cozy read. Thankfully the book ended in a heartwarming way.
At first I wondered if characters from the island and especially Arthur weren't acting too antigonistically at times. However, throughout the story I changed my mind. Why should they walk on eggshells when the government officials treats them without respect and hide behind rules and laws they themselves made up.
I gave the book 4 stars instead of 5 due to lack of immersion. I feel bad about it, but there were many times where I didn't feel immersed. Often the characters said something which fit the situation a bit too well based on who they were without any big consequences. It made me think of the characters as puppets performing a play. I think it's also because the villains were very flat and unwilling to change. Though strong for this story, I prefer books with more nuance.
Graphic: Child abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Transphobia
Moderate: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Religious bigotry
Minor: Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting
Giving this book 4.75 instead of my original 5 given the fact that the author based this off of cultural genocide. Yikes.
Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Genocide, Hate crime, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail
I cannot understate Klune's magical writing skills. His writing is smooth and clear; he has a vast vocabulary yet writes in a way that doesn't feel forced or verbose; he infuses wit and meaning into the narrative; he allows the characters' voices to shine through.
As mentioned, Klune infused meaning into his narrative and explored the following themes:
- Parenting - There are no better fictional parents than Arthur and Linus. (And they also outrank many real-life parents, too.) The way they teach, support, and admonish the children is so full of love and a desire for their children to thrive in life.
- Discrimination - Klune craftily tackles issues of discrimination through the hatred (overt and subtle) toward magical beings in his world. It is a clever way to show the impacts of discrimination toward marginalized populations without yelling "don't judge people based on race or sex!" Because this discrimination is fictional - magic, after all, does not exist in the real world - we can put aside our own biases and sympathize with the magical beings' plight... which can then allow us to look at the real world and see how discrimination harms.
- Found Family - Arthur, Linus, and the children captured my heart. I adore them. I would go to battle against anyone who wishes them harm.
- Transformation and Growth - Neither the characters nor the world is stagnant. Our beloved characters grow. The children are slowly healing from the traumas of their pasts. Linus learns more and more how to love those who are marginalized. Arthur becomes braver to face the world and challenge its biases and to allow himself to grieve and process. Zoe accepts her full, true self. In the outside world, seeds are planted to challenge discrimination against magical beings. Marsyas grows to become a more inclusive safe haven for all beings - magical and nonmagical.
The only negative I will say is that the ending was a tad out of left field and unsatisfactory. It felt like an easy way out of the challenging situation Klune placed the characters.
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders
Graphic: Child abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence
Moderate: Confinement, Mental illness, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, Classism