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anniefizzell's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Car accident, Confinement, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, Alcoholism, Excrement, Gore, Vomit, Alcohol, Bullying, Animal cruelty, Gun violence, Murder, Police brutality, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, Genocide, Grief, Torture, and Violence
cyndi1966's review
- 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
Minor: Slavery, Violence, Gun violence, Police brutality, Confinement, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
stephanieluxton'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
2.25
I didn't really like it.
The premise of finding a door to another world isnt an original concept, but it's a great concept because the possibilities are endless. Maybe that's why I'm so disappointed.
Stephen king tends to write books with settings so rich they almost feel like characters themselves but I didn't feel that way in this book. It wasn't as immersive as I'd hoped.
The pacing of this story was off and it felt bloated. We don't find out about the fantasy world until we are basically a third into the book. i actually enjoyed the beginning act because there was a lot of mystery and anticipation and the relationship between charlie and Howard was wholesome, but it could have been shaved down. A lot of it wasn't necessary. Same with the events that follow Charlie's encounter with the night soldiers - it just felt so long and lackluster. This book felt like 3 different stories squished into one.
The tone of the story was off for me. It's fantasy but I wish it had more horror elements. Charlie finds himself in dire situations but I never felt like he was in true danger. There was very little fear. Part of this might be because he is telling the story in past tense. So we know he is going to be okay or else he wouldn't be telling us the story. There was a few times when I wish the fantasy world was scarier, kind of like the world in From The Light of His Lantern by Abe Moss. There were also a few times when I thought this story would be excellent if Adam Nevill wrote it and made it spooky!
The general plotline was kind of ridiculous. No 17 year old would put himself in danger for the reason charlie goes to the fantasy world in the first place.
I did really like Charlie as a character. I enjoyed that he wasn't totally pure and good. He was capable of violence but trying to do the right thing. Not everything was super easy for him and he had to be witty. This also felt like a coming of age story as well where Charlie has to sacrifice and grow. His character development was good.
The climax was basically non-existent. The ending felt too easy. I was excited for the book to be over. There was bits of political commentary scattered throughout the book which I especially didn't like because it was totally unnecessary.
The narrator of the audiobook did a great job.
Graphic: Physical abuse, Pandemic/Epidemic, Death, Murder, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Self harm, Police brutality, Drug use, Cancer, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Grief, Car accident, Chronic illness, Cursing, Blood, Confinement, Death of parent, Torture, Slavery, Body horror, Cannibalism, Bullying, and Terminal illness
Minor: Incest and War
kelisabeth's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Car accident, Confinement, Fatphobia, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Classism, Genocide, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Slavery, War, Vomit, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Excrement, Addiction, Alcoholism, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Torture, and Violence
karapillar's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Genocide, Gore, Police brutality, Stalking, Car accident, Murder, Violence, Blood, Gun violence, Chronic illness, Cursing, Hate crime, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Grief, Terminal illness, and Vomit
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Torture, Abandonment, Medical content, Cancer, Pregnancy, Slavery, Child death, Cannibalism, Confinement, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
vixenreader's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Grief, Cursing, Gore, Alcoholism, Alcohol, War, Blood, Torture, Violence, Death, Addiction, Ableism, Body horror, Body shaming, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Slavery, and Excrement
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Fatphobia, Medical content, Car accident, Gun violence, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Kidnapping, Police brutality, Animal death, Death of parent, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, and Bullying
Minor: Racism and Sexual content
Be prepared for decaying bodies, half-dead soldiers, and said soldiers exploding. There is also some ableism in terms of how little people are treated in the text.mandaraffe's review
- 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? No
3.5
Graphic: Death of parent, Gun violence, Slavery, Body horror, Addiction, Blood, Murder, Physical abuse, Confinement, Death, Kidnapping, Alcoholism, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Police brutality, Car accident, Excrement, Gore, Grief, and Violence
Moderate: Body shaming, Ableism, Chronic illness, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Infertility, and Incest