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jbeoin's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
SUCH a good book! Victor LaValle has an amazing way of building and exploring character relationships, and he grounds the fantasy elements in such a vivid and real way. He also is one of the best audiobook narrators I've listened to! Great voice, both literary and physical.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Kidnapping, Grief, Blood, Body horror, and Racism
Moderate: Violence, Police brutality, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Suicide attempt
lilifane's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Okay, wtf did I just read?!
At first, the story was so nice and funny and light-hearted for the most part. Then it got more intense and weird. And around the 50% mark it got totally off the rails... and that was just the beginning.
Although I liked the characters, they did some questionable things throughout the book. I loved the dark fairy tale like atmosphere and the writing style. Especially the humour in the first half of the book, which did disappear for the majority of the second half due to how dark and intense the plot got. Btw, I did not like the name of the bad guy because.. why? Couldn't take him seriously tbh, and it took out all the tension every time it was mentioned.
I liked how unpredictable the plot was and all the different parts of it. I just think the book was too long. At least it felt like it was dragging sometimes despite all the action and mystery elements.
At first, the story was so nice and funny and light-hearted for the most part. Then it got more intense and weird. And around the 50% mark it got totally off the rails... and that was just the beginning.
Although I liked the characters, they did some questionable things throughout the book. I loved the dark fairy tale like atmosphere and the writing style. Especially the humour in the first half of the book, which did disappear for the majority of the second half due to how dark and intense the plot got. Btw, I did not like the name of the bad guy because.. why? Couldn't take him seriously tbh, and it took out all the tension every time it was mentioned.
I liked how unpredictable the plot was and all the different parts of it. I just think the book was too long. At least it felt like it was dragging sometimes despite all the action and mystery elements.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Racism, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Mental illness, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Medical content, Abandonment, Blood, Grief, Kidnapping, Violence, and Pregnancy
oodles17's review
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Whooo boy this was an incredibly hard read as a mother
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Child death, Murder, Pregnancy, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Violence
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, and Racism
foxo_cube's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I wasn't sure how this one was going to go when I started reading it - I didn't get on too well with the writing style initially, and, although I settled into it, I'd still say it's not my favourite. Not outright bad or anything, just not for me.
Nonetheless, it wasn't a dealbreaker, and I'm very glad I continued reading because it's a HELL of a story. If ever you think you know where the plot's going - which, for me, was often - you are proven wrong pretty quickly. It heavily telegraphs one thing, then does something else entirely. The book narrowly avoids going into the territory of silliness, and I mean that in a good way. At least, I like that sort of thing.
I do think some of the "Internet bad" messaging is a little heavy-handed. It's not preachy, or even totally anti-Internet - part of the book's sentiment is simply about caution when using social media, which is a pretty important thing. Still, I can't not mention it. The troll bit is especially obvious as a metaphor. The only other big criticism I have of this book is that the characters are a little flat. They're enough to be invested in - what shines through most is Apollo's absolute adoration of his son, and that is beautifully expressed - but it's sort of... just enough for that, if that makes sense.
The thing that made this story work for me is how curious it made me to find out the truth. Because you mostly know only what Apollo knows, and uncover things along with him, you will often find yourself led to believe one version of events only to discover, later, a whole different truth entirely. The way that LaValle pulls that off is fantastic.
I think this will be a book worth re-reading because, having read this in two sittings, more-or-less, I noticed that there was a sort of breadcrumb trail for the curveballs in the plot, and I'd like to see if this is more visible the second time round.
Nonetheless, it wasn't a dealbreaker, and I'm very glad I continued reading because it's a HELL of a story. If ever you think you know where the plot's going - which, for me, was often - you are proven wrong pretty quickly. It heavily telegraphs one thing, then does something else entirely. The book narrowly avoids going into the territory of silliness, and I mean that in a good way. At least, I like that sort of thing.
I do think some of the "Internet bad" messaging is a little heavy-handed. It's not preachy, or even totally anti-Internet - part of the book's sentiment is simply about caution when using social media, which is a pretty important thing. Still, I can't not mention it. The troll bit is especially obvious as a metaphor. The only other big criticism I have of this book is that the characters are a little flat. They're enough to be invested in - what shines through most is Apollo's absolute adoration of his son, and that is beautifully expressed - but it's sort of... just enough for that, if that makes sense.
The thing that made this story work for me is how curious it made me to find out the truth. Because you mostly know only what Apollo knows, and uncover things along with him, you will often find yourself led to believe one version of events only to discover, later, a whole different truth entirely. The way that LaValle pulls that off is fantastic.
I think this will be a book worth re-reading because, having read this in two sittings, more-or-less, I noticed that there was a sort of breadcrumb trail for the curveballs in the plot, and I'd like to see if this is more visible the second time round.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Grief, Body horror, Mental illness, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Cursing, Blood, Forced institutionalization, Stalking, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Kidnapping, and Torture
Minor: Racism
astrawitch's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping and Violence
Moderate: Suicide attempt and Pregnancy
disasterwife's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Kidnapping, Mental illness, Racism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Grief, Gaslighting, and Murder
rorikae's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
'The Changeling' by Victor LaValle is a horrifying story that delves into themes of parenthood, familial trauma, and how far one will go for their child.
The story centers on Apollo Kagwa, a rare book dealer who has just welcomed a baby with his daughter Emma. But their life is disrupted when Emma starts getting strange text messages and begins to act off. One night, after an act of extreme violence, she disappears. Apollo is left trying to piece his world back together and learn more about what really happened in his home and what was its cause.
LaValle does an exceptional job of slowly ramping up the tension in 'The Changeling.' I knew this book was horror going in but the horrific acts and moments still sneak up on you because LaValle has created this really solid base of strong characters. We care for Apollo, learning about his childhood, how he met Emma, and how excited they are at the birth of his son. This makes the revelations and horrific moments in this story that much more stark because they stand out from the normal life that LaValle has painted. Apollo has to dig into his own past to learn about his family at the same time that he is trying to unpack what is happening in his life. This unpacks his familial trauma as he works to be a better father and husband than his own father. I listened to the audiobook, which is narrated by LaValle himself, and his calm narration is the perfect contrast to some of the truly horrific discoveries that are included in this story. I highly recommend this book, especially if you're looking for a horrific family story but go in knowing that there are a lot of trigger warnings and it isn't easy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Violence, Torture, Stalking, Physical abuse, Murder, Kidnapping, Gun violence, Gore, Grief, and Death
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Suicide attempt
bardic_llama's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Man was this book was hella slow but if definitely the best imagery for vomit being 'the color of crème brûlée.' But it picks up pace as it got closer to the end which I suppose is what gives it thriller vibes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit, Violence, Murder, Mental illness, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Racism and Stalking
therefugeofbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Kidnapping
Minor: Racism
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